CHOOL  EFFICIENCY  MONOGRAPH 


NEWSBOY 
SERVICE 

REED 


UC-NRLF 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY 
MONOGRAPHS 


Methods  of  Training  Special 
Classes 


The  Public  and  Its  School 

Hafyonrp 

Standards  in  English 


An  Experiment  in  the  Fun- 
damentals 

Bee* 

Newsboy  Service 


SCHOOL  EFFICIENCY  MJ1W_GRAJ* E S 

NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


A    STUDY    IN    EDUCATIONAL 
AND  VOCATIONAL  GUIDANCE 


BY 
ANNA  Y.  REED,  PH.D. 

With  an  Introduction  by 
GEORGE  ELLIOTT  HOWARD, 

Professor  of  Political  Science  and  Sociology 
in  the  University  of  Nebraska 


YONKERS-ON-HUDSON,   NEW   YORK 

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1917 


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School  Efficiency  Series,  edited  by  Paul  H. 
Hanus,  complete  in  thirteen  volumes;  Edu- 
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Copyright,  1917,  by  World  Book  Company 
All  rights  reserved 


To 

MY   FAITHFUL   COLLABORATORS 

THE    NEWSBOYS,    THE    NEWSPAPERS 

AND  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  TEACHERS 

OF   SEATTLE 


393155 


PREFATORY  NOTE 

THE  United  States  has  entered  definitely  upon  the 
policy  of  federal  aid  for  vocational  education. 
Even  at  a  time  of  vast  military  expenditures,  Congress 
has  seen  the  wisdom  of  providing  vocational  training  for 
the  citizens  of  a  world  that  is  to  be  "made  safe  for 
democracy."  With  the  passage  of  the  Smith-Hughes 
Act  in  February  of  this  year,  the  nation  has  resolved 
to  do  its  part  in  seeing  that  American  boys  and  girls 
have  that  maximum  of  opportunity  for  successful  living 
which  is  the  first  duty  of  a  free  state. 

The  $7,000,000  eventually  to  be  made  available  as  an 
annual  appropriation  from  the  federal  government  will 
mean  the  expenditure  of  many  times  this  amount  by  the 
various  states  and  by  local  communities.  There  will  be 
48  states,  instead  of  9,  with  state  systems  of  vocational 
education,  and  every  community,  whether  city  or 
country,  will  be  thinking,  as  never  before,  in  terms  of 
useful  human  service. 

The  vocational  education  law  provides  specifically  for 
investigation  of  occupational  conditions  in  relation  to 
education.  One  of  the  first  duties  of  the  federal  board 
will  be  to  learn  what  studies  have  already  been  made 
and  what  further  investigations  are  needed.  A  significant 
example  of  the  kind  of  study  necessary  is  afforded  in  the 
report  by  Mrs.  Reed  for  Seattle,  published  in  this  vol- 
ume. There  have  been  other  studies  of  school  and  em- 
ployment, especially  for  Eastern  cities,  and  the  street 
trades  have  come  in  for  their  share  of  attention.  But 
in  no  study  prior  to  Mrs.  Reed's  has  there  been  presented, 
in  so  thoroughgoing  and  understandable  a  fashion,  the 
special  problem  of  newsboy  employment  in  relation  to 

[vii] 


PREFATORY  NOTE 

the  work  of  the  public  schools.  The  ramifications  of 
this  problem  as  affecting  child  labor,  general  education, 
vocational  training,  and  vocational  guidance  will  be  a 
revelation  to  many.  As  the  work  under  the  Smith- 
Hughes  Act  develops,  more  and  more  consideration  will 
be  given  to  this  and  similar  problems  concerning  juvenile 
entrants  into  industry;  and  Mrs.  Reed's  study  of  the 
news  distribution  field  will  be  found  particularly  helpful 
to  states  and  communities  confronted  with  the  duty  of 
translating,  for  their  localities,  federal  and  state  ap- 
propriations into  the  most  effective  provision  for  the 
vocational  education  of  youth. 

W.  CARSON  RYAN,  JR. 
Editor,  United  States  Bureau  of  Education 


[viii] 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

I.    REASONS  FOB  SELECTION  OF  SUBJECT 

VARIOUS  influences  caused  the  selection  of  this  sub- 
ject for  the  first  occupational  study  in  Seattle:1 

(1)  Large   numbers   of   schoolboys  secure   their   first 

vocational  training  in  newsboy  service.  Business 
standards  and  moral  principles  formed  during  the 
years  of  immaturity  are  of  vital  interest  to  the 
educator.  A  questionnaire,  in  June,  1915,  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  there  were  approximately 
4000  pupils  attending  the  Seattle  public  schools 
who  were  employed  out  of  school  hours  as  wage 
earners.  1008  of  this  number  were  newsboys, 
and  811  were  girls  engaged  in  some  form  of 
domestic  service.  The  numbers  engaged  in  these 
two  occupations  was  an  influencing  factor  in  our 
selection  of  The  Newsboy  in  the  Public  Schools 
for  our  first  occupational  study  and  Domestic 
Service  and  the  Public  Schools  for  the  second. 
Time  has  permitted  us  to  complete  but  the  one 
subject. 

(2)  Many  occupational  studies  have  already  been  pub- 

lished by  vocational  departments.  The  factory, 
the  department  store,  various  lines  of  office  work, 
and  the  trades  have  been  popular  subjects  for 
investigation  and  have  been  pretty  thoroughly 
exploited.  On  the  whole,  the  work  has  been  well 
done  and  we  have  considerable  carefully  edited 
material  along  these  lines  which  is  available  for 

1  Several  vocational  studies  have  been  made  for  the  purpose  of  voca- 
tional guidance,  but  none  has  been  scientifically  made  and  none  has 
been  published. 

Cfc-3 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

educational  purposes.  Moreover,  with  minor 
modifications  to  meet  local  conditions,  the  re- 
quirements for  entering  constant l  occupations 
and  the  opportunities  which  they  offer  for  success 
and  promotion  are  common  to  such  occupations 
in  all  sections  of  the  country.  Why  useless  repe- 
tition? Was  it  not  better  for  Seattle  to  utilize 
the  contributions  of  other  cities  and  center  her 
efforts  on  something  in  a  newer  field?  The  News- 
boy and  the  Domestic  Assistant  offered  rich  and 
unexplored  fields.  The  temptation  to  enter  was 
most  alluring. 

(3)  The  interests  of  vocational  students,  up  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  have  been  concentrated  almost  entirely 
on  occupations  entered  after  the  period  of  school 
life.  Too  long  we  have  ignored  the  fact  that  our 
best  opportunity  for  combining  educational  and 
vocational  guidance  was  to  be  found,  not  beyond 
the  period  of  school  influence,  but  rather  in  con- 
nection with  employments  in  which  pupils  engage 
while  they  are  still  in  school.  Frequently  wage- 
earning  pupils  are  gradually  alienated  from  the 
schools,  become  discontented  and  drop  out,  not 
because  of  preference  for  work  and  not  because 
of  any  real  dissatisfaction  with  school,  but  be- 
cause we,  as  educators,  fail  to  understand  the 
many-sided  interests  and  the  elements,  aside 
from  education,  which  appeal  to  our  pupils.2 

1  Used  with    reference    to    occupations  which  are  common  to  all 
localities. 

2  A  New  York  editor  recently  expressed  the  desire  of  pupils  to  do 
something  aside  from  study  and  play  in  the  following  words:   "In  the 
morning  hours,  when  the  soul  of  childhood  lies  almost  bare  in  the  clear, 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

We  appear  to  lack  sympathy,  when  in  reality  we 
merely  lack  the  type  of  knowledge  which  is 
necessary  in  order  to  understand  each  individual 
pupil.  During  three  years  of  service  in  the  voca- 
tional department  my  attention  has  many  times 
been  called  to  the  fact  that  the  point  of  view  of 
the  wage-earning  pupil  is  not  understood  by  the 
average  teacher.  The  same  fact  is  true  with 
reference  to  wage  earners  in  our  evening  schools.1 
Why  seek  for  vocational  opportunities  without  the 
schools  when  the  very  best  of  opportunities  lies 
right  at  our  door? 

(4)  Educational  systems  are  continually  discussing  the 
desirability  of  part-time  and  continuation  schools. 
Are  we  forgetting  that  the  basis  for  successful 
instruction  in  such  schools  must  be  definite  knowl- 
edge as  to  types  of  work,  demands  of  each  type, 
its  rewards  and  its  influences?  Are  we  overlook- 
ing the  fact  that  before  we  can  hope  for  successful 
continuation  schools  we  must  know  how  the  dif- 
ferent employment  influences  act  and  react  on  the 
different  educational  influences?  Would  it  not  be 
logical  to  make  a  beginning  of  continuation  work 
by  studying  these  interactions  with  reference  to 
the  various  occupations  which  are  being  carried 
on  in  connection  with  school  work?  No  time  or 

expectant  eyes,  from  school-out  till  supper,  from  supper  to  bedtime  — 
something  more  than  play  is  needed.  Children  feel  this  and  wait  and 
prowl  about  for  material  of  a  stouter  weave,  something  fibered  with  the 
full  life  round  about  and  impending;  and,  adventuring  unguided,  they 
get  knowledge  and  scars." 

1  This  topic  was  discussed  in  our  recent  Vocational  Guidance  Report, 
submitted  to  the  Board  of  Education  July  1,  1916,  and  now  in  process 
of  publication. 

[xi] 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

wage  readjustment  is  necessary  —  the  character 
of  newsboy  service  has  solved  one  of  the  most 
difficult  continuation-school  problems  —  why  not 
begin  at  once? 

(5)  An  abundance  of  statistics  has  been  tabulated  and 
interpreted  to  prove  the  harmful  effects  of  news- 
boy work  and  its  deteriorating  moral  influences. 
Social  workers  of  unquestioned  standing  have 
reinforced  these  conclusions  with  the  weight  of 
personal  opinion.  If  such  inferences  be  valid, 
then,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  large  majority 
of  newsboys  in  the  cities  of  the  United  States  are 
still  under  school  influence,  it  becomes  the  duty 
of  the  educator  to  ascertain  the  elements  of 
danger,  to  learn  how  to  estimate  them,  and,  if 
they  cannot  be  removed,  how  to  counteract  them 
through  educational  influences.  A  large  part  of 
our  newsboys  are  under  the  control  of  our  Com- 
pulsory Education  Law.1  In  no  other  occupation 

1  There  are  three  state  laws  which  influence  the  newsboy  problem  in 
Washington: 

(1)  The  Compulsory  Attendance  Law  requires  all  children  under 

15  years  of  age  who  have  not  completed  the  8th  grade  to  be  in 
regular  school  attendance  unless  excused  by  the  superintendent. 
This  means  that  the  school  department  has  authority  to  decide 
which  boys,  under  15,  who  have  not  completed  the  8th  grade 
shall  be  permitted  to  sell  papers  during  the  school  day. 
(Session  Laws,  1909,  Chapter  16.) 

(2)  The  Child  Labor  Laws  require  boys  under  14  and  girls  under  16 

to  secure  labor  permits  previous  to  employment  in  all  lines 
except  household  and  farm  service.  A  strictly  legal  interpreta- 
tion of  the  term  "employed"  eliminates  from  labor  supervision 
large  numbers  of  newsboys  who  are  independent  merchants 
rather  than  employees.  (Session  Laws,  1907,  Chapter  128.) 
(3)  The  Juvenile  Court  Law  declares  street  trading  by  children  under 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

has  the  educator  so  complete  jurisdiction  or  so 
compelling  an  influence.  To  analyze  its  influences 
for  good  and  for  evil,  to  utilize  the  one  and  to 
counteract  the  other,  is  one  of  our  immediate 
educational- vocational  privileges. 

(6)  There  has  been  much  interest  in  child  labor,  in 
Washington  and  throughout  the  country.  We 
require  labor  permits  for  boys  under  14  and  girls 
under  16  as  a  prerequisite  to  employment  in 
nearly  every  occupation.  Boys  under  18  are 
included  in  our  minimum-wage  rulings,  which 
regulate  the  hours  and  wages  of  women  and 
girls.  It  is  somewhat  of  an  anomaly  that  the 
laws  of  our  state  are  silent  with  reference  to  the 
three  occupations  which  employ  the  most  and 
the  youngest  children  and  afford  the  greatest 
opportunities  for  long  and  late  hours  —  farm 
work,  domestic  service,  and  street  trades. 

II.    POINT  OF  VIEW 

Most  of  the  material  in  print  on  the  "newsboy"  has 
been  collected  and  interpreted  from  the  point  of  view  of 
the  propagandist.  Child  labor  and  the  evil  influences  of 
the  city  streets  have  been  the  controlling  motives.  The 
present  study  has  no  preconceived  theories  to  support  and 
no  propaganda  to  further.  We  have  chosen  this  subject 
because  it  is  an  occupation  peculiarly  adapted  to  juvenile 
labor;  an  occupation  in  which  the  hours  of  labor  need  no 
readjustment  to  the  hours  of  school  attendance;  an  occu- 

12  years  of  age  to  be  an  element  of  delinquency  or  dependency, 
but  it  does  not  declare  it  to  be  illegal,  nor  does  it  provide  for  offi- 
cial interference  unless  formal  complaint  of  dependency  or 
delinquency  be  filed.  (Laws  of  1911,  Chapter  56,  Section  I.) 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

pation  in  which,  for  better  or  for  worse,  large  numbers  of 
schoolboys  are  actually  engaged.  We  have  approached 
it  in  the  spirit  of  the  educator  who  seeks  to  know  the 
interaction  of  two  forces  —  education  and  the  newsboy 
service.  We  have  tried  to  seek  facts  from  every  source, 
to  interpret  them  from  every  point  of  view,  and  to  sum- 
marize our  findings  according  to  accepted  scientific 
methods.  As  we  come  more  and  more  to  regard  educa- 
tion as  a  factor  in  the  social  economy  of  the  time,  I  believe 
we  shall  come  more  and  more  to  treat  this  and  similar 
subjects  as  social-economic  problems  rather  than  as 
moral  propaganda.  It  is  from  this  point  of  view  that  we 
offer  our  conclusions  to  the  public. 

In  discussing  the  business  policy  of  publishing  houses, 
their  methods  of  circulation  and  the  influences  of  their 
employment  on  the  character  and  future  career  of  em- 
ployees, we  have  constantly  kept  in  mind  that  local, 
daily,  and  foreign  periodicals  are  commercial  enterprises; 
their  main  purpose  is  identical  —  to  increase  or  to  stabil- 
ize circulation.  Where  methods  differ  we  have  attrib- 
uted it  to  difference  of  opinion  as  to  methods  by  which 
the  objective  is  to  be  attained  rather  than  to  difference  in 
objective  itself.  One  circulation  system  may  be  more 
beneficial  educationally  than  the  other,  but  no  efficient 
business  manager  will  continue  any  system,  no  matter 
what  the  social  return  to  employees,  unless  there  be  a 
definite  return  to  the  house  in  the  shape  of  dividends. 
Whenever  and  wherever  cooperative  vocational-educa- 
tional schemes  are  in  operation,  we  have  a  right  to 
assume,  and  it  is  only  fair  to  the  ability  of  business  houses 
to  assume,  that  increase  or  stability  in  dividends  is  the 
prime  object.  Philanthropy,  social  service  in  various 
forms,  or  free  vocational  education  may  easily  be  ele- 

[xiv] 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

ments  in  such  cooperation,  but  they  are  incorporated  in 
business  systems  because  of  their  commercial  value  rather 
than  per  se. 

The  motive  of  business  houses,  however,  is  of  secondary 
importance  to  educators,  whose  prime  object  is  ever  the 
same  —  the  well-being  of  the  pupils  involved.  If  the 
policy  of  any  commercial  enterprise  actually  contributes 
to  the  well-being  of  school  attendants,  it  is  the  duty  of 
educators  to  study  its  elements  of  juvenile  service  and  to 
cooperate  in  using  them  for  the  best  goods  of  their  charges. 

III.    DEFINITION  OF  NEWSBOY 

What  is  a  "newsboy"?  Does  the  term  include  delivery 
boys  who  cover  regular  routes  or  is  it  confined  entirely  to 
boys  who  sell  on  the  streets?  How  long  must  a  boy  be 
engaged  in  either  line  of  service  before  he  is  entitled  to 
classification  as  a  "newsboy"? 

Both  questions  are  pertinent  to  any  scientific  conclu- 
sions regarding  the  character  and  influence  of  newsboy 
service  and  its  interaction  with  the  influence  of  the  edu- 
cational system. 

The  term  "newsboys,"  as  used  in  this  study,  comprises 
all  schoolboys  who  are  employed  in  the  circulation  of 
daily  newspapers,  whether  as  delivery  boys  known  as 
"carriers,"  or  as  sales  agents  known  as  "sellers."  It  also 
comprises  schoolboys  who  are  agents  for  the  Curtis  publica- 
tions. In  some  elements  "selling"  and  "carrying"  do 
not  differ  radically;  in  other  elements  there  is  marked 
dissimilarity.  No  complete  study  can  afford  to  omit 
either  line  of  service,  and  no  scientific  study  can  afford  to 
classify  both  under  the  same  term  without  distinction  as 
to  requirements  and  influences.  The  same  is  true  relative 
to  Curtis  service  in  comparison  with  daily  service.  When- 

[xv] 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

ever  the  term  "newsboy"  is  used  without  qualification, 
it  may  be  assumed  to  include  daily  sellers,  daily  carriers, 
and  Curtis  employees.  As  a  rule,  statistical  tabulations 
have  been  made  for  each  class  of  circulator,  because,  while 
differences  and  similarities  might  have  been  noted,  many 
students  of  social-labor  problems  prefer  to  see  the  facts 
from  which  conclusions  have  been  drawn  and  enjoy  check- 
ing the  writer's  interpretation  by  their  own.  Opportunity 
to  recheck  for  errors  in  interpretation  and  general  conclu- 
sions is  due  any  and  all  who  may  take  the  trouble  to  read 
vocational  publications. 

All  schoolboys  engaged,  at  the  tune  of  interview,  in 
any  of  the  three  lines  indicated  above,  are  considered 
"newsboys"  irrespective  of  the  length  of  their  service. 
When,  however,  influences  involving  length  of  service  are 
under  discussion,  we  have  tried  to  indicate  to  what  extent 
allowance  must  be  made  for  variations  due  to  period  of 
employment.  Too  often  mental,  moral,  and  physical 
degeneracy  is  assumed  to  be  the  logical  outgrowth  of  news- 
boy service,  when  more  careful  investigation  of  individual 
cases  would  have  indicated  that  length  of  service  had  not 
been  sufficient  to  account  for  such  deficiencies. 

Several  boys  were  interviewed  who  are  employed  by 
the  circulation  departments  of  our  smaller  papers.  They 
have  been  omitted  from  tabulation. 

A  considerable  number  of  schoolboys  is  employed  by 
daily  newspapers  in  other  than  circulation  work.  Elevator 
operators,  office  boys,  reporters,  etc.,  are  not  included, 
as  their  occupation  has  none  of  the  characteristics  of  news- 
boy service. 

Information  received  from  district  managers,  whole- 
salers, solicitors,  car  distributers,  and  others  connected 
with  bona  fide  circulation  has  been  used  in  our  conclusions, 

[xvi] 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

but  the  number  of  such  employees  attending  school  was 
too  few  to  tabulate.1 

IV.    SOURCES   OF   INFORMATION  AND   METHODS  OF 
INVESTIGATION 

As  has  already  been  stated,  returns  on  our  employment 
questionnaire  in  June,  1915,  influenced  us  to  select  the 
Newsboy  and  the  Domestic  Assistant  for  our  first  voca- 
tional-educational studies  in  Seattle.  The  general  infor- 
mation which  forms  the  basis  for  such  investigations  was 
secured  alike  for  both  subjects,  but  when  it  appeared 
impossible  to  complete  both,  the  Newsboy  was  given  the 
preference. 

The  value  of  the  facts  upon  which  our  conclusions 
regarding  Newsboy  service  were  to  be  based  was  depend- 
ent upon  three  things: 

(1)  The   ability   and   accuracy   of    the   investigators; 

their  fundamental  knowledge  of  the  newsboy 
problem  in  general;  their  ability  to  distinguish 
between  the  universal  and  the  local  phases  of  the 
problem;  and  their  knowledge  of,  and  ability  to 
make  practical  use  of,  scientific  methods  in  col- 
lecting and  interpreting  facts  and  in  summarizing 
conclusions. 

(2)  Selection  of  a  period  for  securing  data  which  would 

combine  normal  news  circulation  with  normal 
school  attendance. 

(3)  Opportunity  to  prepare  the  results  of  the  investi- 

gation for  publication  before  the  facts  and  con- 
clusions had  become  ancient  history.2 

1  The  number  is  given  on  page  15. 

2  The  long  delay  between  collection  of  data  and  publication  of  con- 
clusions renders  many  otherwise  valuable  studies  almost  useless  except 

xvii 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

We  have  done  our  best  to  meet  the  above  requirements. 

Information  secured  in  986  personal  interviews  with 
newsboys,  or  ex-newsboys,  who  called  at  our  office  during 
the  years  1914  and  1915  furnished  the  basis  of  our  study.1 
Guided  by  the  knowledge  thus  obtained,  a  series  of  prob- 
lems was  selected  and  questions  to  aid  in  their  solution 
were  prepared  for  the  convenience  of  the  investigators 
during  their  interviews.2  A  personal  interview  varying  in 
duration  from  fifteen  minutes  to  one  hour  was  held  with 
each  schoolboy  who  admitted  that  he  was  employed  in 
news  circulation.  No  pupil  was  permitted  to  fill  out  a 
questionnaire.3  All  records  were  made  out  personally  by 
the  interviewer,  whose  own  opinion  as  to  the  boy's  ideals, 
his  honesty,  initiative,  personality,  home  influences,  etc., 
were  incorporated  in  the  record.  It  was  then  passed  on 
to  the  teacher,  who  filled  out  the  school  and  character 

for  historical  purposes.  Social  conditions  change  rapidly.  Research 
students  who  would  contribute  to  constructive  social  work  are  forced 
by  the  very  nature  of  their  problems  to  minimize  the  time  element. 

1  Naturally  we  familiarized  ourselves  with  the  newsboy  problem  in 
other  localities.     No  bibliography  has  been  appended  because  publica- 
tions which  have  been  of  value  are  always  cited  in  footnotes.    There  is 
much  propaganda  material  which  can  easily  be  found  by  reference  to 
any  Public  Library. 

2  The  entire  range  of  topics  is  indicated  in  the  summarized  results. 
The  schedule  used  will  be  found  in  Appendix  I.    It  does  not  include  all 
topics,  as  we  never  put  strictly  personal  questions  on  the  printed  page. 
Also,  as  the  study  progressed,  we  added  a  number  of  topics  not  included 
in  the  original  outline. 

3  There  are  very  few  instances  in  which  questionnaires  filled  out  by 
pupils,  or  by  teachers,  supply  reliable  data  for  fact  tabulation  or  afford 
a  basis  for  scientific  conclusions.     This  is  especially  true  when  social 
facts  are  under  consideration.     Moreover,  both  investigators  made  an 
especial  effort  to  accomplish  something  of  permanent  educational  value 
for   each   boy   during   the   interview   as   well   as   to  secure  newsboy 
information. 

[  xviii  3 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

record,  criticized  the  impressions  of  the  interviewer,  and 
added  anything  which  seemed  to  be  of  value  in  interpret- 
ing the  individual  correctly.  In  many  buildings  principals 
also  reviewed  the  records  and  added  personal  information. 
Occasionally  there  was  considerable  difference  of  opinion, 
as  is  to  be  expected  wherever  the  personal  equation  enters 
so  strongly.  Reasons  for  such  disagreement  were  always 
noted.  In  the  final  analysis  I  have  used  my  own  best 
judgment,  guided,  of  course,  by  all  the  elements  which 
seemed  to  enter  into  difference  of  opinion.1 

With  the  exception  of  less  than  100  pupils,  who  for 
various  reasons  were  interviewed  by  others,  all  interviews 
were  conducted  by  two  investigators.2  Conferences  were 
held  frequently,  for  the  purpose  of  deciding  upon  new 
topics,  new  methods,  changes  in  viewpoint,  or  in  previous 
interpretation  of  data. 

Two  periods  of  the  school  year  appeared  to  combine 
equally  well  normal  circulation  and  normal  school  attend- 
ance —  the  late  fall  and  the  early  spring.  It  was  impos- 
sible to  cover  the  interviews  in  the  fall  and  prepare  the 
material  for  immediate  publication;  hence  it  seemed 
advisable  to  wait  until  spring.  The  entire  number  of 
interviews,  1387,3  was  held  in  March,  April,  and  May 
of  1916,  and  all  grading  and  rechecking  by  teachers 

1  I  am  most  grateful  to  the  Seattle  teachers  and  principals  for  their 
valuable  assistance  in  this  study  and  should  be  glad  to  offer  more  than 
general  recognition  of  their  service  were  it  possible. 

2  Mrs.  M.  M.  Crickmore,  an  educator  of  experience  and  a  woman  of 
exceptional  ability  in  analyzing  social  problems,  assisted  me  in  con- 
ducting the  interviews.    I  acknowledge  my  full  obligation  to  her  for  most 
helpful  cooperation  and  for  many  valuable  suggestions. 

3  The  interviews  from  which  data  were  secured  for  this  publication 
do  not  include  the  986  held  previously  for  the  purpose  of  securing  local 
background. 

[xix  ] 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE 

and  principals  was  complete  at  the  close  of  the  school 
year. 

Statistical  information  which  could  be  handled  by 
clerical  assistants  was  tabulated  in  June  and  July;  much 
of  it,  however,  required  interpretation  to  accompany  tab- 
ulation and  has  necessarily  been  done  personally  as  the 
study  progressed. 

Two  additional  months  have  been  required  to  analyze 
and  interpret  the  material  and  prepare  it  for  publication.1 
Less  than  eight  months  has  elapsed  from  the  inception  to 
the  conclusion  of  the  study. 

"Newsboys"  are  of  both  popular  and  scientific  interest. 
We  have  tried  to  present  our  statistical  tabulations  and 
our  authority  for  generalizations  in  such  a  way  that  we 
might  interest  the  casual  reader  without  overlooking  the 
demands  of  the  scientific  student. 

The  generous  assistance  which  has  been  given  by  the 
four  publishing  companies2  is  accepted  as  it  has  been 
given  —  in  the  interests  of  that  mutual  sympathy  and 
understanding  which  must  be  developed  between  educa- 
tional and  vocational  life  before  either  can  attain  its 
maximum  individual  success  or  render  its  greatest  social 
service.  Each  circulation  manager  has  reviewed  the  manu- 
script copy  prior  to  publication. 

1  Organization  of  material  for  logical  presentation  is  in  itself  an  impor- 
tant phase  of  research  work.    Tune  and  frequent  re-reading  of  material 
often  result  in  valuable  suggestions  for  the  organization  and  presentation 
of  material.    What  we  may  have  sacrificed  on  this  side  we  hope  may  be 
counterbalanced  by  value  due  to  proximity  to  facts. 

2  The  Post-Intelligencer,  Star,  and  Times  newspapers  and  the  Curtis 
Publishing  Company. 


[xx] 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

PREFATORY  NOTE vii 

AUTHOR'S  PREFACE ix 

I.   Reasons  for  Selection  of  Subject ix 

II.   Point  of  View xiii 

III.  Definition  of  Newsboy xv 

IV.  Sources  of  Information  and  Methods  of  Investigation xvii 

INTRODUCTION xxv 

CHAPTER  I.  PUBLICATIONS  INCLUDED  IN  THE  STUDY  AND  THEIR 

CIRCULATION  SYSTEMS 1 

L   Daily  Newspapers 1 

A.  Sellers 2 

B.  Carriers 3 

C.  New  Subscribers 6 

II.   Curtis  Publications ' 8 

A.  System  of  Distribution 8 

B.  Vocational  Plan 9 

CHAPTER  II.  NUMBER  AND  DISTRIBUTION  OF  NEWSBOYS 12 

I.   Number  of  Newsboys  in  Seattle 12 

II.   Distribution  of  Newsboys  in  Seattle  Schools 14 

CHAPTER  III.  EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  NEWSBOY  PROBLEM  18 

I.   Age  and  Grade  Distribution  of  Newsboys 19 

II.   Educational  Status  of  Newsboys 26 

A.  Comparison  with  Newsboys  in  Other  Cities 33 

B.  Comparison  with  Other  School  Wage  Earners 37 

C.  Comparison  with  Total  School  Registration 42 

III.  Attendance  Records  of  Newsboys 49 

IV.  Educational  Rank  of  Newsboys  in  Class 60 

V.  Character  Qualities  of  Newsboys  as  Revealed  in  School 

Life 62 

VI.  Educational  Ideals  of  Newsboys 65 

CHAPTER  IV.  THE  SOCIAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  NEWSBOY  PROBLEM.  . .  69 

I.   Nationality 70 

II.   Home  Conditions 76 

III.  Parental  Condition  and  Occupation  of  Fathers 78 

IV.  Social  Relations  Outside  the  Home 79 

[xxi  ] 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  V.  THE  ECONOMIC  ASPECT  OP  THE  NEWSBOY  PROBLEM  82 

I.   Economic  Pressure 82 

A.  Size  of  Families 83 

B.  Newsboy  Earnings 85 

C.  Use  of  Newboy  Eat nings 89 

D.  Boys  Doing  Other  Work 89 

II.  Social  Economy  of  Newsboy  Service 90 

CHAPTER  VI.  THE  PHYSICAL  ASPECT  OF  NEWSBOY  SERVICE 92 

CHAPTER  VII.  THE  MORAL  ASPECT  OF  NEWSBOY  SERVICE 98 

I.   Parental  School  Records 100 

II.  Personal  Observation 101 

III.  Personal  Interviews 102 

A.  Gambling 102 

B.  Smoking 105 

C.  Profanity 106 

D.  Drinking 108 

E.  Begging     109 

F.  Dishonesty 109 

IV.  Boys'  Estimate  of  the  Moral  Influence Ill 

CHAPTER  VIII.  THE  VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  NEWSBOY  SERVICE  .  116 
I.   Character    Development    in    Its    Relation    to    Newsboy 

Service 117 

A.  Perseverance 118 

B.  Thrift 121 

II.  Business  Knowledge  and  Principles  in  their  Relation  to 

Newsboy  Service 125 

A.  Selecting  a  Location 126 

B.  Selling  Corners 127 

C.  Leasing  Corners 128 

D.  Employing  Salesmen 129 

E.  Wholesaling  and  Retailing 130 

F.  Credit  and  Collections 131 

G.  Soliciting 133 

H.  Profit  and  Loss 133 

/.   Business  Ethics 135 

III.  Supervision  of  Newsboys 136 

IV.  Newsboy  Service  as  a  Blind  Alley  Occupation 139 

V.  Vocational  Aspect  of  Curtis  Sales 141 

[  xxii  ] 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  IX.  THE  AVOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OP  NEWSBOY  SERVICE  . .  148 

CONCLUSIONS 153 

APPENDIXES 159 

I.  Newsboy  Schedule 160 

II.  Occupations  of  Schoolboys.    1916 162 

III.  Examples  of  Schoolboy  Employment 162 

IV.  Irregular  Attendance  in  Connection  with  Other  Newsboy 

Influences 164 

V.  Long  and  Late  Hours  in  Connection  with  Other  Newsboy 

Influences 165 

VI.   Comparative  Cases  from  General  Employment  Illustrating 

Hours  of  Service  in  Relation  to  Remuneration 166 

VII.  Nativity  and  Nationality  of  Other  School  Wage  Earners .  167 

VIII.  Typical  Examples  of  Turkish  Newsboys 168 

INDEX  .                     169 


C  xx"* 


INTRODUCTION 

SOMEWHAT  tardily  the  American  people  have  become 
aware  that  the  traditional  aims,  methods,  and  sub- 
jects of  public  education  are  not  satisfying  the  needs  of 
modern  social  life.  Ideals  born  before  the  opening  of  our 
industrial  age  have  dominated  the  schools — primary, 
secondary,  and  higher.  Recently,  notably  during  the  last 
decade,  a  new  ideal  has  arisen,  the  ideal  of  education  for 
social  service.  For  the  old  conception  of  learning  for  its 
own  sake  is  giving  way  to  the  conception  of  knowledge  for 
human  use.  This  is  the  soul  of  the  new  education,  the 
spirit  of  the  new  humanism  which  is  demanding  nothing 
less  than  the  reconstruction  of  education  from  bottom  to 
top,  so  that  consciously,  more  deliberately  than  now,  its 
aim  shall  be  to  train  and  equip  human  beings  for  the  actual- 
ities of  human  life. 

Already  throughout  the  land  a  many-sided  movement 
for  the  socialization  of  education  is  under  way.  The 
central  problem  of  the  movement  is  vocational  training 
and  guidance.  It  is  a  hard  problem,  whose  wise  solution 
must  depend  upon  an  expert  survey  of  the  facts  for  each 
vocation.  One  by  one  such  collections  of  facts  are  being 
provided.  Among  the  vocations  most  closely  related  to 
education  are  the  street  trades  followed  by  children. 
Perhaps  the  most  discussed  and  least  understood  of  these 
trades  is  that  of  the  newsboy.  Hence  the  importance  of 
Mrs.  Reed's  intensive  study  of  Newsboy  Service,  a  social- 
economic  contribution  of  great  value.  It  is  a  very 
thorough,  detailed,  and  accurate  survey  of  a  neglected 
field.  Many  a  reader  of  the  book,  like  myself,  will  be 
surprised  by  the  truths  so  painstakingly  revealed.  For 
the  first  time  he  will  gain  a  definite  idea  of  the  relative 

[xxv] 


INTRODUCTION 

importance  of  the  newsboy's  vocation;  of  the  very  inter- 
esting organization  of  his  business;  and  of  the  real  nature 
of  the  economic,  social,  and  moral  questions  involved  in 
it.  The  author  has  demonstrated  the  value  of  the  scien- 
tific statistical  method  in  determining  the  truth.  Re- 
garding an  important  calling  pursued  by  many  thousands 
of  American  schoolboys,  she  has  enabled  teachers  to  sub- 
stitute facts  for  mere  tradition  or  prejudice;  and  she  has 
proved  the  supreme  need  of  vocational  guidance  as  an 
essential  factor  in  public  education. 

Not  only  has  Mrs.  Reed  produced  a  model  investigation 
in  social  statistics,  but,  at  the  same  time,  she  has  written 
a  book  which  in  every  part  fixes  the  attention  and  chal- 
lenges the  sympathy  of  the  reader.  In  various  ways  it  is 
a  helpful  contribution  to  the  literature  of  practical  soci- 
ology; for  instance,  in  accenting  the  influence  of  home  con- 
ditions on  child  welfare.  It  will  be  of  great  service  to  all 
who  are  interested  in  the  vocational  training  of  youth. 

GEORGE  ELLIOTT  HOWARD 


[xxvi] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


"I  am  weary  of  seeing  this  subject  of  education  always 
treated  as  if  'education*  only  meant  teaching  children  to 
write  or  to  cipher  or  to  repeat  catechism.  Real  education 

—  the  education  which  alone  should  be  compulsory  — 

—  means  nothing  of  the  kind.     It  means  teaching  chil- 
dren to  be  clean,  active,  honest,  and  useful." 

JOHN  RUSKIN 


[  xxviii 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

CHAPTER  ONE 

PUBLICATIONS  INCLUDED  IN  THE  STUDY  AND 
THEIR  CIRCULATION  SYSTEMS 

I.    DAILY  NEWSPAPERS 

SEATTLE  supports  three  large  daily  newspapers,  all 
of  which  are  included  in  this  study.  The  Post-Intel- 
ligencer issues  an  early  morning,  a  late  evening,  and  a 
special  Saturday  night  edition.1  The  Star  issues  four 
editions,  covering  the  period  from  10  A.M.  to  late  after- 
noon. The  Times  publishes  three  regular  afternoon  edi- 
tions and  a  Saturday  night  special  which  goes  on  sale 
about  nine  o'clock.  The  Sunday  editions  of  the  Times 
and  of  the  Post-Intelligencer  go  on  sale  in  the  early  morn- 
ing hours.  The  Star  issues  no  Sunday  edition. 

Both  the  Times  and  the  Post-Intelligencer  are  under  local 
ownership  and  control.  The  Star  belongs  to  the  Scripps 
chain  and  is  owned  and  controlled  by  outside  capital. 

City  circulation  is  effected  by  means  of  carriers  who 
deliver  to  regular  subscribers  and  by  sellers  who  handle 
street  sales.  The  proportion  of  total  circulation  accom- 
plished by  each  method  varies  somewhat  for  each  paper, 
but,  generally  speaking,  approximately  50  per  cent  of 
daily  circulation  is  handled  by  each  method,  with  a  grow- 
ing tendency  toward  increase  of  street  sales. 

The  circulation  department  of  each  publication  has  its 
individual  system  of  organization.  These  systems  differ 
radically  in  some  respects,  while  in  others  they  are  re- 
markably uniform.  We  shall  discuss  the  different  cir- 

1  City  editions  only  are  included. 

[  i] 


NFWSBOY  SERVICE 

culation  systems  in  detail  only  in  so  far  as  the  elements 
of  difference  influence  directly  or  indirectly  the  problems 
under  discussion. 

A.  Sellers 

Downtown  sellers,  in  their  relation  to  the  circulation 
department,  are  almost  universally  regarded  as  independ- 
ent merchants.  In  some  respects  this  is  true,  in  others 
untrue.  The  corner  boys  purchase  their  papers  directly 
from  wholesalers  who  maintain  a  regular  delivery  service 
to  the  corners,  and  they  pay  for  their  purchase  according 
to  definite  agreement.  They  are  not,  however,  sufficiently 
independent  to  decide,  at  all  times,  with  absolute  free- 
dom, how  large  their  purchase  shall  be.  Owing  to  the 
youth  of  sellers  and  to  the  tendency  of  many  boys  to  be 
satisfied  with  comparatively  small  sales,  a  custom  has 
grown  up  of  allowing  wholesalers  to  decide  the  number  of 
sales  for  which  each  corner  "is  good,"  and  then  to  force 
the  boys  to  maintain  sales  and  service  standards.  Some- 
times boys- are  obliged  to  accept  a  larger  number  of  papers 
than  they  desire,  and  sometimes  they  are  forced  to  pay 
for  more  papers  than  they  can  sell.  Provision  for  return 
of  unsold  copies  is  not  uniform.  It  varies  according  to 
conditions  and  the  character  of  the  individual  boy. 
Corner  control,  through  concession  rights,  is  the  basis  of 
the  wholesaler's  authority.  When  wholesalers  depend 
upon  commission  for  salary,  one  can  readily  see  that 
privilege  of  control  might  be  abused  and  be  detrimental 
to  the  financial  and  educational  interests  of  the  boy. 
When  wholesalers  receive  a  fixed  salary,  they  are  fre- 
quently the  fairest  and  best  friend  a  boy  has  in  standing 
between  him  and  the  circulation  demands  of  the  central 
office. 

[2] 


PUBLICATIONS  INCLUDED  IN  THE  STUDY 

Sellers  in  outlying  districts  deal  with  district  agents 
who  combine  supervision  of  routes  with  sales  supervision. 
The  system  is  practically  the  same  as  for  downtown 
sellers. 

B.  Carriers 

Cash  or  surety  bonds  and  signed  contracts  are  required 
of  all  carriers.1  Contracts  obligate  boys  to  perform  their 
duties  faithfully,  to  teach  substitutes,2  to  secure  new 
subscribers,  to  make  collections,  to  keep  accurate  route 
books,  and  to  notify  agents  prior  to  resignation.3  Fines 
for  neglect  of  duty  and  regulations  regarding  service  and 
complaints  are  included  in  the  contracts. 

District  agents  are  an  important  element  in  the  carrier 
system  of  all  papers,  but  there  is  more  or  less  variation  in 
their  relation  both  to  the  central  office  and  to  the  car- 
riers who  work  under  them.  In  general,  they  are  sup- 
posed to  see  that  boys  receive  and  pay  for  their  papers  and 
render  satisfactory  service;  size  up  local  routes  and  see 
that  boys  make  the  most  of  them;  look  after  complaints; 
hire  and  discharge  boys;  and  check  collections.  They 
also  deliver  to,  and  collect  from,  corner  boys,  hire  and 
discharge  local  sellers,  and  see  that  street  sales  are  main- 
tained. 

Methods  of  remunerating  carriers  and  the  relation  of 
wholesalers,  or  district  agents,  to  the  central  office  seem 
to  be  the  controlling  elements  of  difference  in  carrier 
systems. 

1  A  few  boys  deposit  bank  books.    Cash  bonds  draw  interest. 

2  Substitutes  receive  no  pay  while  learning.     Many  boys  are  glad 
to  enter  carrier  service  in  this  way.    It  takes  from  2  to  7  days  to  learn 
a  route. 

3  Some  agents  hold  back  a  certain  part  of  the  wage  or  profit  in  order 
to  force  boys  to  live  up  to  this  part  of  the  contract. 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

Post-Intelligencer  routes  are  all  owned  by  the  paper. 
Carriers  receive  a  definite  wage  for  a  definite  service. 
Routes  are  sized  up  by  district  agents  and  are  kept  as 
nearly  uniform  in  respect  to  territory  covered  and  char- 
acter of  route  as  is  possible.  Salaries  are  paid  for  deliv- 
ery service  only  and  are  also  quite  uniform.1  Boys  are 
required  to  collect  on  their  own  routes.  They  receive 
additional  remuneration  in  the  form  of  a  percentage  on 
collections.2  They  may  not  buy,  sell,  exchange,  or  divide 
their  routes,  and  as  the  paper  stands  subscription  loss, 
they  may  not  drop  customers  unless  so  instructed.  Dis- 
trict agents  have  authority  over  the  efficiency  of  service 
rather  than  over  the  financial  side  of  the  carriers'  work. 
Their  relation  to  the  central  office  has  none  of  the  dis- 
advantages common  to  middleman  supervision.  Routes 
demand  early  morning  service.  They  are  carried  largely 
by  high-school  and  university  boys.  A  graded  record 
system  is  maintained  at  the  general  office  which  has  an 
excellent  influence  on  the  efficiency  of  carriers.  Many 
boys  mentioned  the  system  during  our  interview  and 
asked  for  advice  in  overcoming  faults.  Through  the 
courtesy  of  the  circulation  manager  we  were  permitted  to 
compare  the  business  estimates  of  several  high-school 
boys  with  our  educational  estimates.  Had  we  been  able 
to  secure  similar  grades  for  all  the  newsboys,  it  would 
have  added  most  decidedly  to  the  educational  value  of 
our  conclusions. 

Star  and  Times  carriers  who  cover  downtown  routes 
also  deal  directly  with  the  central  office,  but  on  a  profit 
rather  than  on  a  wage  basis.  They  control  their  own 
routes  and  make  or  lose  according  to  their  ability  as 

1  Boys  estimate  25  cents  an  hour. 
•  5  per  cent  after  the  first  $10. 

[4] 


PUBLICATIONS  INCLUDED  IN  THE  STUDY 

solicitors  and  collectors,  and  according  to  the  character 
of  the  customers  on  their  routes. 

Star  carriers  in  the  outlying  districts  are  supervised  by 
district  agents,  from  whom  they  obtain  their  papers  at 
the  same  rate  as  do  downtown  carriers  and  sellers.1  Local 
policy  conforms  to  downtown  policy  in  practically  every 
particular.  District  agents  receive  regular  salaries.  As 
there  is  no  Sunday  edition,  as  the  dailies  are  light,  the 
routes  small,  and  the  remuneration  less  than  the  average 
high-school  boy  expects,2  service  is  rendered  almost 
entirely  by  elementary-school  boys. 

Times  carriers  in  outlying  districts  work  under  a  sys- 
tem which  differs  radically  from  the  downtown  carrier 
system.  This  difference  is  due  to  the  difference  in  rela- 
tion between  the  central  office  and  the  district  agents  and 
the  consequent  difference  in  relation  between  the  district 
agents  and  the  local  carriers.  District  agents  are  not 
salaried  employees  as  is  the  case  with  agents  for  the  other 
papers.  They  purchase  concession  rights  within  certain 
territory  and  the  paper  guarantees  them  full  protection  in 
such  territory,  with  more  or  less  freedom  to  control  their 
local  policy  as  seems  best.3  This  system  introduces  the 
middleman  element  into  the  relation  between  agents  and 
carriers  and  naturally  reduces  the  income  of  the  boys. 

1  50  cents  per  100. 

2  Boys  make  as  much  or  more  on  the  daily,  but  the  papers  which 
publish  Sunday  editions  offer  a  considerable  additional  inducement 
financially. 

3  There  is  one  very  interesting  group  of  routes  in  sold  territory  which 
belongs  to  private  parties  and  which  the  agent  has  never  been  able  to 
purchase.    Many  years  ago  a  single  route  was  established  by  a  boy,  15 
years  of  age,  who  delivered  on  horseback.    As  population  increased  he 
divided  his  route  and  is  now  a  middleman  himself,  although  his  employees 
are  all  salaried.    His  income  is  good  and  he  declines  to  sell  out. 

[5] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

Boys  may  deliver  on  either  salary  or  commission  basis. 
In  some  districts  they  collect,  in  others  the  commission 
on  collections  is  a  part  of  the  middleman's  profit.  When 
carriers  collect  they  may  stand  the  entire  subscription 
loss  or  the  agent  may  share  it  with  them.  The  whole- 
sale price  of  Sunday  papers  is  a  half  cent  higher  when 
purchased  of  district  agents.  The  popularity  of  the  sys- 
tem varies  according  to  the  character  of  the  agents.  A 
large  part  of  the  carriers  employed  by  local  agents  attend 
the  elementary  school. 

Inasmuch  as  all  of  our  dailies  utilize  some  form  of  dis- 
trict agent  and  inasmuch  as  many  newsboy  studies  which 
include  this  subject  are  most  severe  in  their  criticism  of 
such  agents,  the  location  of  their  offices,  the  temptations 
afforded  boys  to  fritter  away  their  earnings  while  waiting 
for  papers,  etc.,  I  feel  that  it  would  be  unfair  to  our  news- 
papers, and  to  the  agents  who  represent  them,  were  we  to 
pass  over  this  subject  without  expressing  our  appreciation 
of  the  type  of  men  whom  we  found  occupying  these  posi- 
tions in  Seattle.  Offices  were  universally  satisfactory  both 
as  to  location  and  conditions.  We  found  no  district  agent 
who  seemed  to  us  undesirable  as  an  associate  for  boys, 
and  there  was  but  one  whom  we  felt  was  sacrificing  the 
boys'  financial  interest  to  his  own.  The  majority  have 
studied  juvenile  ability  and  juvenile  weakness  as  care- 
fully as  have  our  educators,  and  their  cooperation  in 
developing  the  right  standards  and  principles  while  boys 
are  still  under  school  jurisdiction  would  be  most  beneficial 
to  the  educational  system. 

C.  New  Subscribers 

New  subscribers  may  be  secured  through  voluntary 
subscription,  through  carrier  solicitation,  or  through  regu- 

[6] 


PUBLICATIONS  INCLUDED  IN  THE  STUDY 

lar  solicitors.  It  is  most  desirable  that  route  boys  take 
all  possible  responsibility  for  increasing  subscriptions,  and 
each  paper  tries  to  offer  sufficiently  attractive  induce- 
ments to  encourage  them  to  do  so.  Liberal  prize  systems 
of  all  kinds,  competitive  and  non-competitive,  are  offered. 
Some  boys  make  little  or  no  effort;  others  have  made 
valuable  additions  to  their  salary  in  this  way.  Regular 
solicitors  are  inclined  to  secure  many  temporary  sub- 
scribers, especially  when  desirable  premiums  are  offered. 
Retaining  such  subscriptions  is  the  carriers'  duty,  and  it 
is  often  a  most  difficult  task.  Nearly  all  boys  agree  that 
professional  solicitors  serve  a  useful  purpose  in  checking 
carrier  efficiency  and  that  papers  undoubtedly  secure 
some  valuable  hints  from  them. 

Each  paper  has  its  advantages  and  its  disadvantages. 
The  Post-Intelligencer  and  the  downtown  Times  routes 
are  the  most  popular,  afford  the  highest  remuneration,  and 
offer  the  most  advantages  to  older  boys.  The  former 
guarantees  a  good,  definite  salary;  the  latter  offers  pos- 
sibilities of  a  considerably  larger,  indefinite  reward.  One 
requires  abnormal  rising  and  retiring  hours  but  leaves  a 
free  afternoon  for  other  duties  or  pleasures;  the  other 
permits  normal  rising  and  retiring  hours  but  requires 
"early  dismissal"  and  spoils  the  afternoon  for  any  other 
purpose.  Each  has  its  own  peculiar  collection  problems 
which  carriers  must  estimate  and  learn  to  control  as  best 
they  may.1 

The  Star  and  the  local  Times  are  about  equally  remu- 
nerative and  are  very  desirable  for  elementary-school  boys. 
There  are  no  excessively  early  hours,  but  few  "early  dis- 
missals," and  there  is  no  occasion  to  be  on  the  downtown 

1  Customers  would  doubtless  pay  subscriptions  more  promptly  were 
it  generally  known  that  a  schoolboy  loss  is  involved. 

m 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

streets  or  around  downtown  newspaper  offices.  As  a  rule, 
district-agent  supervision  is  a  desirable  element.  Forcing 
extras  and  the  middleman  system  are  the  only  com- 
plaints. The  boys'  point  of  view  on  these  two  subjects 
will  be  referred  to  later. 

II.    CURTIS  PUBLICATIONS 

The  Curtis  Publishing  Company  maintains  a  district 
agency  in  Seattle.  239  schoolboys  are  engaged,  directly 
or  indirectly,  by  this  agency  in  what  is  known  throughout 
the  country  as  "P-J-G  service,"  or  the  circulation  of  the 
Saturday  Evening  Post,  Ladies'  Home  Journaly  and  the 
Country  Gentleman. 

A.   System  of  Distribution 

The  system  of  distribution  comprises  yearly  subscrip- 
tion sales,  weekly  customer  sales,  and  street  sales.  Papers 
distributed  by  all  methods  are  sent  from  the  home  office 
so  that  customers  receive  them  with  uniform  regularity  on 
the  same  day  throughout  the  entire  country.  This  is  jus- 
tice to  both  classes  of  subscribers  as  well  as  to  local  sales 
boys  and  it  is  a  vital  factor  in  maintaining  the  right 
balance  between  yearly  subscriptions  and  circulation 
sales  which  is  an  important  element  in  the  business  policy 
of  any  paper. 

Boys  who  desire  to  enter  P-J-G  service  apply  to  the 
district  agent  and  are  given  an  opportunity  to  try  them- 
selves out.  Distributers  are  supposed  to  call  for  their 
papers  at  the  central  or  branch  offices  Wednesday  or 
Thursday  evening  after  school.  They  are  under  contract 
not  to  make  deliveries  until  Thursday.  Payment  is  made 
when  papers  are  received.  An  exact  account  of  all  sales 

[8] 


PUBLICATIONS  INCLUDED  IN  THE  STUDY 

is  required  and  full  returns  are  allowed  provided  the  entire 
copy  be  preserved. 

The  city  is  not  districted.  Each  boy  is  free  to  secure 
subscriptions  or  to  make  sales  wherever  he  may  have 
the  opportunity.  Nearly  all  Curtis  boys  combine  selling 
and  carrying;  very  few  confine  themselves  to  subscrip- 
tion sales. 

B.   Vocational  Plan 

The  unique  element  in  the  Curtis  system  —  one  which 
is  not  found  in  connection  with  the  distribution  of  dailies 
—  is  its  vocational  plan.  The  object  of  the  plan  is  twofold : 

(1)  On   the   business   side  —  to   increase   or   stabilize 

circulation. 

(2)  On  the  educational  side  —  (a)  to  supplement  book 

education  with  practical  business  experience,  (6) 
to  aid  in  developing  the  fundamental  character 
qualities  which  are  important  both  per  se  and  as 
business  assets,  (c)  to  combine  education  and 
business  in  such  a  way  that  progress  in  each  may 
be  continuous  and  that  boys  who  win  promotion 
in  both  may  have  a  business  introduction  and 
recommendation  as  well  as  an  educational 
diploma. 
The  educational  system  by  means  of  which  this  object 

is  accomplished  comprises  clubs,  educational-vocational 

literature,  and  personal  guidance. 

(1)  Four  clubs  offer  a  regular  series  of  promotions: 
The  Ten  Club,  League  of  Curtis  Salesmen,  Expert 
Salesmen,  and  Master  Salesmen.  Membership 
in  the  first  is  based  on  sales  record  only.  In  each 
of  the  others  it  is  based  on  a  combination  of  sales 
and  educational  requirements.  Promotion  from 

[9] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

each  to  the  next  higher  is  dependent  upon  steady 
increase  in  sales  and  in  educational  standards. 
Local  educators  are  held  responsible  for  reporting 
on  educational  progress;  the  district  agent,  on 
sales  progress.  Each  boy  who  graduates  from  the 
full  series  is  promised  a  position  with  some  co- 
operating business  house,  an  especial  effort  being 
made  to  guide  the  right  boy  into  the  right  job. 
(2)  Vocational-educational  literature,  which  is  an  im- 
portant element  in  the  system,  consists  of  Our 
Boys,  issued  monthly  to  all  P-J-G  boys;  the 
Forecast,  issued  weekly,  containing  sales  hints 
for  each  publication;  How  to  Sell  100  Copies 
Weekly,  a  textbook  on  which  vocational  examina- 
tions are  based;  The  Counselor,  issued  monthly  to 
parents  and  teachers;  and  just  recently  the 
vocational  moving-picture  film,  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son Morgan.1 

These  publications  are  strictly  for  the  purpose  of 
vocational  and  educational  progress.  Stories  are 
brief  and  usually  well  told,  emphasis  being  placed 
on  such  topics  as,  How  to  meet  and  deal  with 
other  people,  The  value  of  politeness,  courtesy, 
neatness,  thrift,  promptness,  regularity,  tact, 
perseverance,  honesty  —  in  fact,  all  the  funda- 
mental qualities  which  make  for  success  are  well 
brought  out.  Salesmanship  versus  peddling  is 
constantly  emphasized. 

Prize  compositions  on  sales  plans,  favorite  books, 
etc.,  are  frequently  contributed  by  boys. 

1  Other  vocational  literature  offered  by  the  Curtis  Publishing  Com- 
pany includes,  Salesmanship  a  Vocation  for  Boys,  Schooling  for  Voca- 
tions, What  Shall  I  Do  with  My  Boy  ?  etc. 

[10] 


PUBLICATIONS  INCLUDED  IN  THE  STUDY 

(3)  The  sales  life  of  each  boy  is  on  record  at  the  home 
office  and  follow-up  letters  come  promptly  when 
negligence  or  inefficiency  demands. 
Many  inducements  are  offered  by  the  Company  for 
boys  to  enter  and  remain  in  the  service:  prizes, 
both  competitive  and  non-competitive;  definite 
rewards  with  each  promotion,  such  as  membership 
in  Y.M.C.A.  or  Y.M.H.A.;  investment  begin- 
nings, voucher  dividends,  etc.;  and  vocational 
placement  at  the  close  of  school  life. 

In  addition  to  district  agents  and  the  plan  above, 
which  requires  a  large  force  of  educational  workers,  the 
home  office  employs  a  full  corps  of  superintendents  of 
agencies  who  visit  each  agent  periodically,  and  it  also 
calls  sectional  conventions  at  which  sales  policy  is 
discussed. 

Theoretically  we  have  an  elaborate,  carefully  outlined, 
educational- vocational  plan;  financially  a  most  expensive 
one.  The  actual  return  to  the  Company  is  undoubtedly 
commensurate  with  the  investment  or  it  will  soon  be  dis- 
continued. Whether  it  is  as  large  as  it  should  be  is 
another  matter.  The  actual  service  to  the  boy  is  most 
intangible.  What  it  actually  does  teach,  the  use  the 
boy  makes  of  it,  and  his  sales  record  compared  with  the 
boy's  who  does  not  have  it  may  be  partially  determined 
as  our  study  progresses.  The  actual  elements  contributed 
to  character  and  education  through  the  people  met,  the 
experiences  had,  and  the  influences  which  guide  is  the  part 
of  the  circulation  policy  which  interests  the  educator. 
Later  on  we  shall  try  to  see  how  the  elements  contributed 
by  the  daily  and  the  weekly  agree  or  disagree  in  these 
respects. 


CHAPTER  TWO 

NUMBER  AND  DISTRIBUTION  OF  NEWSBOYS 

I.  NUMBER  OF  NEWSBOYS  IN  SEATTLE 

IT  is  a  very  difficult  matter  to  reach  even  approximate 
accuracy  as  to  the  number  of  newsboys  in  any  city  in 
the  United  States.  Our  sources  of  information  on  this 
subject  comprise:  (1)  The  federal  census,  (2)  the  school 
census,  (3)  records  of  license  bureaus,  (4)  records  of 
newspaper  offices,  and  (5)  private  investigation. 

Newsboy  statistics  in  the  federal  census  are  notoriously 
so  inaccurate  that  even  the  children  themselves  realize 
their  valueless  character.  The  attention  of  the  public 
has  been  called  to  the  fact  and  causes  of  such  inaccuracies 
too  often  to  require  repetition.  It  is  sufficient  to  state 
that  usually  about  one  fourth  of  the  number  of  newsboys 
in  any  city  is  the  nearest  approach  to  accuracy  from  this 
source. 

Our  Seattle  school  census  does  not  seek  occupational 
information  of  any  kind,  nor  have  we  any  system  of 
licensing  newsboys.1 

Newspaper  records  are  accurate  for  carriers  employed 
directly  by  the  individual  paper  or  its  authorized  agents. 
No  paper  allows  its  regular  carriers  to  handle  a  second 
paper,  therefore  it  would  be  easy  to  get  the  exact  number 
of  carriers  were  it  not  for  "sub-carriers"  and  "independ- 
ent carriers."  Sub-carriers  are  employed  by  regular  or 
independent  carriers  and  are  not  responsible  to  the  papers. 
Independent  carriers  purchase  their  papers  from  whole- 

1  Cities  which  have  license  bureaus  report  only  approximate  accuracy 
in  numbers,  owing  to  the  fact  that  many  boys  obtain  licenses  who  do 
not  use  them.  Many  others  use  them  irregularly. 

[12] 


NUMBER  AND  DISTRIBUTION 

salers  or  sellers,  solicit  their  own  customers,  and  gradually 
increase  the  number  until  they  have  quite  a  large  route. 
This  is  a  common  practice  in  the  downtown  section, 
especially  among  corner  sellers,  who  frequently  begin 
their  day's  work  with  carrier  service  on  an  independent 
route  and  then  return  to  their  corner  for  the  rush-hour 
sales.  It  can  easily  be  seen  that  this  combination  in  one 
person,  of  independent  carrier  and  corner  seller,  compli- 
cates the  problem  of  separating  accurately  sellers  and 
carriers.  As  a  rule  combinations  of  this  type  are  tabulated 
under  sellers,  as  the  character  of  the  work  is  more  closely 
allied  to  selling  than  it  is  to  carrying  and  by  far  the  greater 
part  of  time  is  devoted  to  selling. 

Newspapers'  records  for  sellers  would  afford  even  greater 
opportunity  for  inaccuracies.  There  are  two  main  chances 
for  error:  (1)  Most  boys  handle  more  than  one  paper.  A 
Post-Intelligencer  boy  may  sell  that  paper  only  on  school- 
days, but  on  Saturday  evening  he  may  include  the  Times. 
An  afternoon  seller  may  handle  the  Star  and  Times  only 
until  Saturday  night  and  then  include  the  Post-Intelli- 
gencer. This  system  results  in  the  overestimation  of 
numbers.  (2)  Many  boys  who  sell  are  employed  by  other 
boys  on  commission  or  on  a  regular  salary  and  never  come 
in  contact  with  the  papers  in  any  way.  This  results  in 
underestimation  of  numbers.  None  of  our  Seattle  papers 
attempts  to  keep  an  accurate  list  of  sellers,  and  it  has 
been  very  difficult  for  us  to  distinguish  absolutely  between 
sellers  who  are  independent  merchants  trading  on  their 
own  responsibility,  and  street  employees  who  sell  for 
others,  either  on  salary  or  on  commission.  We  hope  we 
have  been  able  to  do  so  sufficiently  for  such  as  may  be 
interested  to  realize  the  variety  of  problems  involved  in 
news  circulation  and  the  labyrinth  of  business  intricacies 

[13] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

which  many  very  young  boys  are  daily  attempting  to 
untangle. 

Private  enumeration  seems  to  have  been  our  most 
authoritative  source  of  information,  although  it  is  impos- 
sible to  claim  anything  like  absolute  accuracy.  Our 
census  system  was  as  follows :  Each  teacher  in  the  public- 
school  system  was  asked  to  secure  the  number  and  names 
of  all  pupils  who  were  in  any  line  of  newspaper  work. 
Each  pupil  was  interviewed  as  soon  as  possible  thereafter. 
Pupils  who  were  absent  when  the  teacher  took  the  names 
were  included  if  they  were  present  during  the  days  of 
interview.  Pupils  who  were  present  when  the  list  was 
made,  but  who  were  absent  during  the  entire  period  of 
interviews,  were  omitted.  Some  were  newsboys  when 
the  count  was  taken  but  had  resigned  before  we  got  to 
the  interview.  These  were  omitted.  To  offset  this  loss 
in  numbers  we  called  for  the  names  of  any  who  might  have 
begun  work  recently.  Several  were  found. 

Constant  change,  absence,  failure  to  acknowledge  them- 
selves newsboys,  coupled  with  failure  of  the  teacher  to 
know  that  they  were  such,  are  all  contributing  elements 
to  inaccuracy.  Our  enumeration  showed  1387  public- 
school  newsboys.  There  is,  of  course,  no  duplication. 

In  addition  to  this  number  we  have,  with  the  assistance 
of  circulation  managers,  estimated  that  there  are  about 
60  professional  newsboys,  15  news  girls,  and  approxi- 
mately 150  university  and  private-school  newsboys. 

II.    DISTRIBUTION   OF  NEWSBOYS  IN  THE   SEATTLE 
SCHOOLS 

Allowing  for  the  specified  limitations  as  to  accuracy, 
it  would  seem  safe  to  conclude  that  there  are  approxi- 
mately 1700  newsboys  in  Seattle.  This  estimate  comprises: 

[14] 


NUMBER  AND  DISTRIBUTION 


(1)  public-school  boys,  (2)  university  and  private-school 
boys,  (3)  non-school  persons,  and  (4)  a  few  schoolgirls.1 
Our  study  includes  public-school  boys  alone.  The  total 
number  interviewed  was  1387.  Thirty  of  that  number  are 
omitted  from  tabulation:  eleven  because  they  were 
handling  too  many  different  publications  and  were  selling 
or  carrying  as  might  seem  more  profitable  at  any  given 
time;  seven  were  employed  by  the  smaller  papers;  two 
were  district  managers;  two  were  wholesalers;  two  car 
distributers;  two  office  shippers;  three  collectors;  and 
one  was  a  solicitor. 

Table  I  indicates  the  number  of  pupils  to  be  included  in 
our  tabulations.  It  classifies  them  as  sellers  and  carriers 
and  distinguishes  between  elementary  and  high  school 
attendants. 

TABLE  I.     NUMBER  AND  DISTRIBUTION  OP  SEATTLE  NEWSBOYS 

(1357) 


Sellers 

Carriers 

Total 
Dailies 

Curtis 

Gra 
To 

No. 

nd 
tal 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

High  school 

61 

10 

P-I.    73 
T.       85 

S.        20 

33 

178 

239 

21.4 

25 

10.4 

264 

19.3 

Elementary 
school.  .  .  . 

517 

90 

P-I.    35 
T.      156 

S.      171 

•• 

... 

... 

214 

... 

362 

67 

879 

78.6 

214 

89.6 

1093 
1357 

80.5 

Totals.  .  .  . 

578 

100 

540 

100 

1118 

100. 

239 

100. 

99.8 

1  The  number  of  girls  is  very  small  and  their  work  is  entirely  in  the 
residence  section. 

[15] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

Tabulation  shows  sellers  and  carriers  to  be  about  evenly 
divided,  but  the  proportion  of  the  total  in  the  high  school 
compared  with  that  in  the  elementary  school  —  239  or 
21.4  per  cent,  versus  879  or  78.6  per  cent.  —  is  interesting, 
as  is  also  the  high-school  and  elementary-school  variation 
between  sellers  and  carriers.  10  per  cent,  of  sellers  in 
the  high  school  becomes  33  per  cent,  of  carriers  in  the 
same  school,  while  90  per  cent,  of  sellers  in  the  elementary 
school  decreases  to  67  per  cent,  of  carriers  in  the  same 
school.  10.4  per  cent,  of  the  Curtis  boys  are  in  the  high 
school  and  89.6  per  cent,  in  the  elementary  school. 
After  making  all  due  allowance  for  the  difference  between 
high-school  and  elementary-school  enrollment,  it  would 
seem  logical  to  infer  that  selling  decreases  in  popularity 
as  age  and  education  increase,  while  carrying  becomes 
more  popular  with  age  and  educational  advancement.1 

Reasons  for  this  shifting  of  popularity  are  too  obvious 
to  require  proof,  although  many  boys  freely  explained 
their  preference  and  its  causes: 

(1)  Consensus  of  opinion  declared  that  small  boys  were 
the  better  street  salesmen.  The  higher  type  of 
boy  over  15  years  of  age  says  frankly  that  it  is  a 
mortification  to  stand  on  the  street  corner  hawk- 
ing his  wares,  and  none  do  so  from  choice.  On 
the  other  hand  the  boy  of  ten  will  state  with 
equal  frankness  that  he  "just  loves  to  holler" 
or  that  selling  gives  him  "a  fine  chance  to  holler." 
One  boy  about  nine  years  of  age,  a  good  sales- 
man, told  us  that  he  always  imagined  he  was 

1  Male  high-school  enrollment  —  1916 12926 

Newsboy  high-school  enrollment  —  1916 264  or  9  % 

Male  elementary-school  enrollment  —  1916 18,566 

Newsboy  elementary-school  enrollment  —  1916 1093  or  5.3  % 

[16] 


NUMBER  AND  DISTRIBUTION 

playing  a  game  while  selling  papers.  He  was  a 
little  black  dog  lying  in  wait  for  his  victim.  As 
the  customer  approached  he  darted  at  him  and 
began  to  bark  just  as  a  dog  did.  He  rarely  lost  a 
sale,  had  started  a  bank  account,  and  was  thor- 
oughly enjoying  his  work. 

Customers  are  almost  universally  inclined  to  favor 
the  young  newsboy.  So  generally  is  this  recog- 
nized by  older  boys  that  many,  who  for  one 
reason  or  another  continue  to  sell,  employ  smaller 
boys  to  make  all  the  real  sales  effort  and  confine 
themselves  to  watching  the  boxes  or  to  serving 
customers  who  purchase  voluntarily. 

(2)  Older  boys  make  more  satisfactory  carriers  and 

usually  have  the  preference.  Two  of  the  dailies 
publish  papers  which  make  a  heavy  load  for  the 
younger  boys  and  an  almost  impossible  load  on 
Sunday.  Collections  are  usually  more  easily 
made  by  the  high-school  boy,  and  the  morning 
paper  is  probably  more  sure  of  prompt  service 
by  more  mature  boys.  A  large  percentage  of  the 
elementary  carriers  handle  the  Star  or  the  lighter 
routes  in  residence  districts. 

(3)  Street  sales  are  often  irregular  and  demand  addi- 

tional time.  Elementary-school  boys  can  respond 
to  the  demand  without  educational  loss  where 
the  high-school  boy  can  seldom  do  so. 

The  age  at  which  school  newsboys  do  the  most  success- 
ful street  work  is  indicated  later. 


[17] 


CHAPTER  THREE 

EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  NEWSBOY  PROBLEM 

IN  attempting  to  draw  conclusions  regarding  the  con- 
nection between  newsboy  service  and  any  circum- 
stances or  conditions,  the  broadest  possible  viewpoint  is 
essential  to  insure  interpretations  of  any  value.  We  have 
studied  our  material  from  a  variety  of  aspects.  For  the 
sake  of  convenience  we  shall  offer  it  to  the  reader  under 
seven  subdivisions:1 

Educational  aspect 
Social  aspect 
Economic  aspect 
Physical  aspect 
Moral  aspect 
Vocational  aspect 
Avocational  aspect 

The  educational  aspect  of  the  problem  comprises  six  topics : 

I.  Age  and  grade  distribution  of  newsboys. 

II.  Educational  status  of  newsboys  per  se;  in  compari- 
son with  educational  status  of  newsboys  in  other 
cities;   in  comparison  with  boys  engaged  in  other 
occupations,  and  in  comparison  with  total  school 
attendance. 

III.  Attendance  records  of  newsboys  per  se,  and  in 
comparison  with  total  school  enrollment. 

IV.  Educational  rank  in  class  of  newsboys  per  se,  in 
comparison  with  boys  employed  in  other  lines,  and 
in  comparison  with  total  school  enrollment. 

1  "Education"  as  a  part  of  the  social  economy  of  the  time  might 
easily  embrace  all  the  other  subdivisions.  We  ask  the  reader  to  consider 
our  classification  as  convenient  rather  than  as  arbitrary. 

[18] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

VV.  Character   qualities   of   newsboys   as   revealed   in 

school  life. 
VI.   Personal  educational  ideals  of  newsboys. 

I.    AGE  AND   GRADE  DISTRIBUTION  OF  NEWSBOYS 

Age,  grade,  and  educational  progress  are  most  impor- 
tant phases  of  any  occupational  study  which  includes 
school  children.  So  much  has  been  written  on  the  retarda- 
tion of  newsboys  and  the  interest  in  retardation  in  gen- 
eral is  so  universal  that  we  offer  a  number  of  comparative 
tables  on  this  subject. 

Tables  II  and  III  give  the  age  and  grade  of  daily  sellers 
and  carriers  by  half  years. 

Table  IV  gives  the  same  information  for  Curtis 
employees. 

Research  workers  are  not,  as  yet,  offering  semester 
tabulation  along  these  lines,1  therefore  these  tables  are 
of  little  value  for  minute  classification.  They  are  offered 
in  this  form  in  the  hope  that  as  time  goes  on  we  shall 
approach  more  nearly  to  absolute  accuracy  in  all  of  our 
educational  statistics  and  that  they  may  be  of  use  later 
for  comparative  conclusions. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  the  age  and  grade 
here  tabulated  are  the  age  and  grade  at  the  date  of  inter- 
view —  March,  April,  or  May,  1916.  This  means  a  more 
exact  showing  as  to  age  and  grade,  but  a  higher  per  cent, 
of  retardation  than  is  found  in  our  annual  reports.2 

1  The  Newsboys  of  Milwaukee,  Milwaukee  Bureau  of  Economy  and 
Efficiency,  1911.    Semester  tabulation  for  80  sellers,  10  to  14  years  of 
age,  is  given.    Seventy-four  out  of  the  80  were  retarded. 

2  Would  not  annual  reports  be  more  accurate  and  of  more  value  for 
comparative  statistics  were  information  of  this  class  to  be  secured  in 
February  rather  than  in  September  and  were  the  system  to  be  uniform 
throughout  the  country? 

[19] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

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1 

[23] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

Of  the  501  elementary  sellers  for  dailies  129,  or 
25.7  per  cent.,  are  in  the  primary  grades,  one  to  four 
inclusive;  178,  or  35.5  per  cent.,  are  under  12  years  of 
age,  the  age  below  which  selling  anything  on  the  streets  has 
been  legally  declared  to  rank  a  child  as  a  dependent  or  as  a 
delinquent.  The  largest  number  selling  in  any  one  grade 
is  110,  or  21.9  per  cent.,  in  the  sixth  grade,  followed  closely 
by  96  in  the  fifth  grade.  The  largest  number  of  sellers 
at  any  one  age  is  100,  or  19.7  per  cent.,  at  12  years. 

60,  or  16.5  per  cent.,  of  the  362  elementary  carriers  are 
in  the  primary  grades  and  107,  or  29.5  per  cent.,  are  under 
12.1    The  largest  number  in  any  one  grade  is  91,  or  24.9 
per  cent.,  in  the  eighth  grade.     The  largest  number  at 
any  one  age  is  82,  or  22.4  per  cent.,  at  13  years. 

61,  or  28.4  per  cent.,  of  the  214  elementary  Curtis  boys 
are  in  the  primary  grades  and  104,  or  48.5  per  cent.,  are 
under  12  years  of  age.    The  largest  number  selling  in  any 
one  grade  is  44,  or  20.5  per  cent.,  in  the  seventh  grade, 
with  43  each  in  the  sixth  and  the  eighth.     The  largest 
number  of  sellers  at  any  one  age  is  43,  or  20  per  cent.,  at 
13  years. 

In  order  to  bring  out  the  above  facts  more  clearly, 
they  are  grouped  for  ready  reference  in  Table  VII. 

Considering  Tables  V,  VI,  and  VII  as  a  group,  we  find 
steady  increase  in  number  of  sellers  from  the  sixth  to  the 
twelfth  year,  with  decrease  after  fourteen  through  the 
high  school.  Among  carriers  we  find  exactly  the  reverse, 
and  although  the  number  of  high-school  carriers  appears 
small  in  comparison  with  grade  numbers,  it  is  high  rela- 
tive to  numbers  enrolled  and  to  total  numbers  carrying. 
Statistics  would  seem  to  prove  conclusively  that  news- 

1  Comparatively  few  of  the  very  young  carriers  are  employed  by 
newspapers. 

[24] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


paper  selling  is  a  most  popular  elementary-school  employ- 
ment. Corroborative  evidence  is  afforded  by  the  boys 
themselves,  who,  when  asked  to  name  the  best  age  for 
selling,  reply  without  hesitation  "twelve."1 


TABLE  VII. 


COMPARATIVE  STATISTICS.     AGE  AND  GRADE 
ELEMENTARY  NEWSBOYS  (1077) 2 


Total 

Primary 

Under  12 

Largest  No. 
Any  Grade 

Largest  No. 
Any  Age 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

Elementary 
sellers  

Elementary 
carriers  

Curtis  

501 
362 
214 
1077 

129 
60 
61 
250 

25.7 
16.5 
28.4 
23.2 

178 
107 
104 
389 

35.5 
29.5 
48.5 
36.1 

110  in. 
6th 

91  in. 
8th 

44  in. 
7th 

21.9 
24.9 
20.5 

100  at 
12 

82  at 
13 

43  at 
13 

19.7 

22.4 
20 

Totals  

The  Curtis  boys  furnish  an  interesting  element  in  any 
general  conclusions.  It  has  been  seen  that  their  method 
of  circulation  is,  strictly  speaking,  a  combination  of  sell- 
ing and  carrying.  Our  comparative  statistics  show  that 
48.5  per  cent,  of  the  elementary  Curtis  boys  are  under 
twelve.  This  is  a  considerably  higher  percentage  than  is 
found  among  daily  boys.  Moreover,  the  highest  per- 
centage of  primary  circulators,  28.4,  is  also  found  among 
the  Curtis  boys.  Several  reasons  might  be  offered  in 
explanation  or  interpretation  of  these  facts:  (1)  That  the 

1  The  fact  that  the  largest  number  of  boys  prefer  to  sell  and  actually 
do  sell  at  this  age  must  not  be  accepted  as  prima  facie  evidence  that  they 
make  the  largest  sales  or  that  they  are  preferred  by  the  newspapers. 

2  Less  than  16  special  elementary  sellers. 

[25] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

element  of  salesmanship  involved  in  news  distribution  is 
encouraging  young  boys  to  enter  the  Curtis  service,  where 
special  instruction  along  these  lines  is  afforded;  (2)  that 
many  parents  permit  their  boys  to  work  for  a  weekly 
publication  who  would  not  permit  daily  sales  at  the  same 
age;  (3)  that  the  Curtis  publications  are  obliged  to  use 
younger  boys  because  the  financial  return  is  not  sufficient 
to  attract  older  boys;  (4)  that  dailies  sift  applicants  more 
carefully  and  reject  the  young.  Valid  conclusions  on  this 
subject  cannot  be  reached  until  we  have  analyzed,  for 
similarities  and  differences,  the  various  elements  involved 
in  both  classes  of  distribution  and  have  compared  the 
type  of  boy  employed  by  the  dailies  with  the  type  who 
enters  the  Curtis  service. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  age,  attention  is  called  to 
the  fact  that  36.1  per  cent,  of  all  elementary  sellers  and 
carriers  are  under  the  age  of  twelve  and  that,  in  so  far  as 
they  offer  papers  for  sale  on  the  streets,  they  are  violating  the 
spirit  if  not  the  exact  letter  of  the  Juvenile  Court  Law. 

H.    EDUCATIONAL   STATUS   OF  NEWSBOYS 

It  is  universally  believed,  and  there  are  many  opinions 
and  much  statistical  tabulation  in  its  support,  that  edu- 
cational retardation  is  common  to  newsboy  employment 
and  that  the  causes  of  such  retardation  are  inherent  in 
the  character  of  employment.  Five  tables  have  been 
prepared  for  the  study  of  this  phase  of  the  problem. 

Table  VIII  indicates  on  both  the  one  and  the  two  year 
basis,  although  lines  are  drawn  on  the  two  year  basis, 
the  number  of  normal,  retarded,  and  advanced  pupils 
who  are  engaged  in  daily  news  distribution.  Table  IV 
on  page  22  indicates  the  same  facts  with  reference  to 
Curtis  boys. 


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EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


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[27] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


Applying  the  standards  used  in  our  previous  publica- 
tion, —  7th  grade  at  13  years  normal,  6th  grade  or  below 
at  13  retarded,  and  8th  grade  or  above  at  13  advanced, 
—  we  find  our  highest  combination  for  age  and  grade 
among  sellers  to  be  38  at  12  years  in  the  6th  grade.  This 
is  strictly  in  accordance  with  normal  standards.  Among 
carriers  the  highest  combination  is  37  at  13  years  in  the 
7th  grade,  which  also  conforms  to  normal  standards.  The 
highest  Curtis  combination  is  20  at  13  years  in  the  8th 
grade,  which  according  to  the  same  test  places  it  above 
normal  requirements. 

Table  IX  classifies  according  to  the  same  standard  as 
normal,  retarded,  and  advanced  all  newsboys  except  the 
16  specials.  Obviously  it  is  unwise  to  attempt  to  classify 
too  minutely  the  very  young  distributers,  as  we  have  no 
knowledge  of  their  entering  age. 

TABLE  IX.     SCHOOL  STATUS  OF  NEWSBOYS.     1341  (ONE- 
YEAR  BASIS) 


Normal 

Backward 

Advanced 

Totals 

Ages 

Sell. 

Carr. 

Cur. 

Sell. 

Carr. 

Cur. 

Sell. 

Carr. 

Cur. 

Sell. 

Carr. 

Cur. 

6-7 

1 

7 

8 

3 

4 

9 

10 

4 

8 

8 

6 

2 

i 

2 

15 

6 

6 

24 

14 

8 

9 

8 

7 

8 

3 

1 

13 

11 

15 

24 

19 

23 

10 

22 

5 

12 

7 

4 

1 

22 

11 

15 

51 

20 

28 

11 

27 

19 

12 

22 

8 

6 

21 

17 

23 

70 

44 

41 

12 

38 

29 

16 

42 

18 

4 

20 

21 

20 

100 

68 

40 

13 

28 

37 

16 

48 

24 

5 

18 

21 

22 

94 

82 

43 

14 

30 

33 

13 

45 

26 

9 

13 

11 

11 

88 

70 

33 

15 

12 

20 

5 

38 

32 

7 

15 

24 

2 

55 

76 

14 

16 

5 

19 

1 

18 

20 

2 

10 

2 

25 

49 

3 

17 

4 

12 

1 

8 

21 

1 

1 

6 

13 

39 

2 

18 

1 

13 

5 

14 

6 

27 

Over  18 

3 

22 

3 

22 

Totals 

184 

207 

86 

240 

192 

33 

138 

141 

120 

562 

540 

239 

% 

32.7 

38.3 

36 

42.7 

35.5 

14 

24.5 

26.1 

50 

1341 

32.7  per  cent,  of  sellers,  38.3  per  cent  of  carriers,  and 
36  per  cent,  of  Curtis  boys  are  normal;   42.7  per  cent,  of 
[28] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

sellers,  35.5  per  cent,  of  carriers,  and  14  per  cent,  of 
Curtis  boys  are  backward;  24.5  per  cent,  of  sellers,  26.1 
per  cent,  of  carriers,  and  50  per  cent,  of  Curtis  boys  are 
in  advance  of  the  normal. 

Changing  our  method  of  standardization  to  conform  to 
the  two-year  plan  as  indicated  in  Tables  IV  and  VIII,  and 
which,  because  it  is  so  frequently  used,  we  also  employ  in 
our  comparative  statistics,  we  offer  in  Table  X  a  second 
classification  for  the  same  group. 

We  now  have  53.2  per  cent,  of  sellers,  60  per  cent,  of  car- 
riers, and  74  per  cent,  of  Curtis  boys  in  the  normal  group; 
42.7  per  cent,  of  sellers,  35.5  per  cent  of  carriers,  and  13  per 
cent,  of  Curtis  boys  backward;  4  per  cent  of  sellers,  4.4 
per  cent,  of  carriers,  and  12.9  per  cent,  of  Curtis  boys 
advanced.  A  higher  percentage  of  normality  is  to  be  ex- 
pected, but  it  is  rather  unusual  to  find  such  increase  en- 
tirely at  the  expense  of  the  advanced  pupils  while  the  per- 
centage of  backward  pupils  remains  practically  unchanged. 

Comparison  of  percentage  of  normal,  backward,  and 
advanced  pupils  grade  by  grade  indicates  exactly  where 
variations  in  educational  status  occur.  Interpreted  in  the 
light  of  these  statistics,  our  former  conclusions  regarding 
the  conformity  of  the  largest  newsboy  groups  to  normal 
requirements  means  nothing  more  or  less  than  that  the 
groups  selling  at  the  ages  and  in  the  grades  mentioned 
are  sufficiently  large  to  make  a  considerable  contribution 
to  total  normality  and  at  the  same  time  permit  a  large 
percentage  of  retardation  within  their  individual  groups. 

Further  analysis  reveals  the  degree  of  retardation.  This 
is  frequently  of  greater  educational  significance  than  is 
total  extent  of  retardation. 

Table  XI  indicates  retardation  by  years  for  the  daily- 
newsboy  group. 

[29] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


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[31] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

357,  or  41.3  per  cent.,  of  the  elementary  daily  boys  are 
retarded:  62.4  per  cent,  one  year,  23.5  per  cent,  two  years, 
10.3  per  cent,  three  years,  and  3.3  per  cent,  four  or  more 
years.  Increase  or  decrease  in  percentage  of  retardation 
with  reference  to  age  and  grade  shows  the  highest  per- 
centage of  retardation  to  be  in  the  fifth  grade  and  the 
largest  number  retarded  to  be  in  the  sixth  grade. 

75,  or  32.6  per  cent.,  of  high-school  daily  boys  are  re- 
tarded: 60  per  cent,  one  year,  30.6  per  cent,  two  years, 
8  per  cent,  three  years,  and  1.3  per  cent,  four  or  more 
years.  The  highest  percentage  of  retardation  is  found  in 
the  junior  and  senior  years,  the  lowest  in  the  freshman.1 
The  largest  number  retarded  is  found  in  the  sophomore 
year. 

Table  XII  shows  the  Curtis  elementary  retardation  by 
years.  High-school  boys  are  omitted  because  there  was 
but  one  retarded  Curtis  boy  in  the  high-school  group. 

TABLE  XII.     CURTIS  RETARDATION  BY  YEARS. 
214  ENROLLMENT,  32  RETARDED 


Igr. 

2gr. 

3gr. 

4gr. 

5gr. 

6gr. 

7gr. 

8gr. 

=1 

Age 
6-7 

7-8 

8-9 

9-10 

10-11 

11-12 

12-13 

13-14 

<M 

Retarded  1  yrs. 

1 

3 

3 

5 

4 

5 

21 

656 

Retarded  2  yrs  
Retarded  3  yrs  
Retarded  4  yrs.  or  more  . 

8 

1 

2 

1 

3 

1 

8 
2 
1 

25 
6.2 
3.1 

Total  retarded 

4 

4 

6 

8 

5 

5 

32 

Enrollment  of  newsboys 

6 

17 

28 

33 

43 

44 

43 

214 

Per  cent,  each  grade  .  .  . 

23.5 

14.4 

18.3 

18.6 

11.3 

11.6 

14.9 

1  Newsboys  in  the  first  year  are  largely  the  normal  or  advanced  boys 
promoted  from  the  grades.  Many  newsboys  in  the  third  and  fourth 
years  have  been  forced  to  drop  out  and  are  reentering  to  complete  the 


[32] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

32  out  of  214  elementary  Curtis  boys  are  retarded: 
65.6  per  cent,  one  year,  25  per  cent,  two  years,  6.2  per 
cent,  three  years,  and  3.1  per  cent,  four  or  more  years. 
The  highest  percentage  of  retardation  is  found  in  the  third 
grade,1  the  largest  number  retarded  in  the  sixth  grade. 

According  to  any  tabulation,  Curtis  boys  outrank  the 
daily  distributers. 

Four  important  and  significant  questions  arise  at  once  in 
the  minds  of  the  research  student :  (a)  Why  does  the  Curtis 
boy  outrank  the  daily  boy  ?  (6)  How  does  the  Seattle  news- 
boy compare  in  school  status  with  the  newsboy  in  other 
cities?  (c)  How  does  the  Seattle  newsboy  compare  in 
school  status  with  the  Seattle  schoolboy  employed  in  other 
occupations?  (d)  How  does  the  Seattle  newsboy  compare 
in  school  status  with  the  non-employed  Seattle  schoolboy? 

Replies  to  these  questions  are  vitally  important  as 
prerequisites  to  any  scientific  conclusions  regarding  the 
influence  of  newsboy  life  on  the  educational  status  of 
boys  who  are  so  employed. 

Discussion  of  the  first  problem  will  be  taken  up  later 
when  the  influencing  elements  aside  from  education  have 
been  more  fully  presented. 

A.  Comparison  with  Newsboys  in  Other  Cities 
For  our  second  problem  we  have  information  from  four 
other  cities  which  may  be  used  with  limitations:  (a)  200 
New  York  City  school  newsboys  studied  in  1911,  (6)  287 
Toledo  school  newsboys  studied  in  1911,  (c)  317  Kansas 
City  school  newsboys  studied  in  1915,  and  (d)  426  St. 
Louis  school  newsboys  probably  studied  in  1910.2 

1  The  cause  will  be  discussed  later. 

2  Watson,  Elizabeth  C.,  New  York  Newsboys  and  Their  Work,  1911. 
The  two-year  method  of  standardization  is  used. 

Clopper,  E.  N.,  Child  Labor  in  City  Streets,  1912,  page  152.    A  per- 

[S3] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

All  except  the  Kansas  City  study  were  made  five  years 
ago.  During  the  period  which  has  elapsed  since  publi- 
cation, retardation  has  been  a  live  topic  in  educational 
circles.  Cities  have  been  vying  with  one  another  in  their 
efforts  to  reduce  retardation  percentages,  hence  it  is 
hardly  fair  to  estimate  1911  statistics  on  the  same  basis 
as  those  of  1915  and  1916. 

No  study  defines  the  term  "newsboy,"  but  there  is 
strong  probability  that  it  is  confined  to  sellers,  whereas 
the  Seattle  tabulation  includes  both  sellers  and  carriers. 
Curtis  boys  are  not  included  in  any  of  the  studies. 

All  are  limited  in  scope,  the  nearest  approach  to  a  com- 
plete study  being  Kansas  City,  with  317  out  of  an  esti- 
mated 600  under  16  years  of  age. 

The  New  York  tabulation  is  confined  to  10  to  13 
years  inclusive,  the  Toledo  tabulation  to  elementary 
pupils,  and  the  Kansas  City  tabulation  to  boys  under 
16.  For  the  sake  of  uniformity  we  have  limited  com- 
parative statistics  to  elementary  pupils  between  10  and 
13  years  inclusive.  This  leaves  for  New  York  City  177 

sonal  study  of  287  Toledo  newsboys  in  the  four  public  schools  nearest 
the  downtown  section.  The  two-year  method  of  standardization  is  used. 

Sixth  Annual  Report  of  the  Board  of  Public  Welfare.  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  1915,  pages  121f.  This  publication  estimates  that  there  are  600 
newsboys  under  16  in  Kansas  City.  Personal  interviews  were  held  with 
317  school  attendants.  Retardation  is  estimated  on  the  two-year  basis. 

Washington  University,  School  of  Social  Economy,  The  Newsboy  of 
St.  Louis,  1910.  A  study  of  507  out  of  approximately  1800  newsboys. 
426  were  schoolboys.  Names  were  secured  in  such  a  way  that  the 
boys  interviewed  represent  all  localities  and  conditions.  The  study  was 
made  originally  for  the  National  Conference  of  Charities  and  Correc- 
tions, which  met  in  St.  Louis  in  1910,  and  was  published  later,  in  a 
modified  form,  without  date.  Methods  of  ascertaining  percentages  are 
not  given,  retardation  alone  is  tabulated,  and  we  are  left  uncertain  as 
to  the  interpretation  of  "newsboy." 

[34] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


out  of  the  200,  for  St.  Louis  318  out  of  426,  for  Toledo 
169  out  of  287,  for  Kansas  City  202  out  of  317,  and 
for  Seattle  529  out  of  1118.  The  two-year  method  of 
standardization  is  used. 

TABLE  XIII.    COMPARATIVE  STATISTICS  OP  SCHOOL  STATUS  OF  DAILY 
NEWSBOYS  (TWO-YEAR  BASIS) 


New  York 

St.  Louis 

Toledo 

Kansas 

Seattle 

177  out  of 

318  out  of 

169  out  of 

City  202 

529  out  of 

Age  and 

200 

426 

287 

out  of  317 

1118 

Status 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

Age  10.  Total 

12 

100 

65 

100 

50 

100 

52 

100 

71 

100 

Retarded  .  .  . 

6 

50 

31 

47.6 

25 

50 

35 

67.3 

11 

15.5 

6 

50 

25 

50 

17 

32.7 

55 

77.4 

Ahead 

5 

7 

Age  11.  Total 

34 

100 

54 

100 

34 

100 

54 

100 

114 

100 

Retarded.  .  . 

22 

64.4 

32 

59.2 

16 

47 

40 

74 

30 

26.3 

Normal  

11 

32.4 

17 

50 

14 

26 

75 

65.8 

Ahead 

1 

3 

1 

3 

9 

7.9 

Age  12.  Total 

59 

100 

101 

100 

40 

100 

53 

100 

168 

100 

Retarded  .  .  . 

42 

71 

74 

73.2 

28 

70 

48 

90.5 

60 

35.7 

Normal  

16 

27 

12 

30 

5 

9.4 

100 

59.5 

Ahead  .  ... 

1 

1  6 

8 

4.7 

Age  13.  Total 

72 

100 

98 

100 

45 

100 

43 

100 

176 

100 

Retarded... 

48 

66f 

74 

75.5 

34 

75| 

39 

90.7 

72 

40.8 

Normal  

24 

33i 

11 

24* 

4 

9.3 

99 

56.8 

Ahead 

5 

2.8 

Totals. 

177 

100 

318 

100 

169 

100 

202 

100 

529 

100 

Retarded.  .. 

118 

67 

211 

66.3 

103 

61 

162 

80 

173 

32.5 

Normal 

57 

32 

65 

38 

40 

19 

329 

62 

Ahead 

2 

1 

1 

1 

27 

5 

Retardation  in  each  city  increases  after  10  years  of 
age,  while  there  is  a  corresponding  decrease  in  normality. 
The  number  of  pupils  in  advance  of  the  standard  is  too 

[35] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


small  to  be  an  item  except  for  Seattle.  Seattle  statistics 
would  be  expected  to  show  an  improvement  over  those  of 
other  cities  in  1911,  but  the  great  difference  in  percent- 
ages between  Kansas  City  in  1915  and  Seattle  in  1916 

TABLE  XIV.    COMPARATIVE  RETARDATION.    DAILY  NEWSBOYS 
(ONE-YEAR  BASIS) 


Age  and 
Status 

New  York 

Toledo 

Kansas  City 

Seattle 

No. 

% 

No 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

Age  10.  Total 
Retarded  
Normal  

12 
6 
3 
3 

34 

22 
7 
5 

59 

42 
9 
8 

72 
48 
17 

7 

177 
118 
36 
23 

100 
50 
25 
25 

100 
64.7 
20.6 
14.7 

100 
71 
15 
13.5 

100 
66| 
23.6 
9.7 

100 
66| 
20 
13 

58 
31 
17 
10 

44 
26 
10 

8 

37 
23 

7 
7 

25 
13 
6 
6 

179 
96 

47 
36 

100 
53 
30 
17 

100 
59 

22.7 
18.2 

100 
62 
19 
19 

100 
52 
24.5 
24.5 

100 
53 
26 
20 

74 
56 
13 
5 

57 
44 

9 

4 

26 
18 
3 
5 

17 
13 

2 
2 

174 
131 

27 
16 

100 
75.6 
17.4 
6.7 

100 

77 
15.8 

7 

100 
69.2 
11.5 
19.2 

100 
76.4 
11.7 
11.7 

100 
75.3 
15.5 
9.2 

71 
11 

27 
33 

114 
30 
46 

38 

168 
60 
67 
41 

176 

72 
65 
39 

529 
173 
205 
151 

100 
15.4 
38. 
46.4 

100 
26.3 
40.3 
33.3 

100 
35.6 
39.8 
24.4 

100 
40.9 
37 

22 

100 

32.7 
38.7 
28.5 

Ahead  

Age  11.  Total 
Retarded  
Normal  .... 

Ahead  

Age  12.  Total 
Retarded  
Normal  

Ahead  

Age  13.  Total 
Retarded  
Normal  
Ahead  

Totals 

Retarded  
Normal  .... 

Ahead  

seems  rather  remarkable.  The  lowest  rank  throughout  for 
the  five  cities  is  that  of  Kansas  City;  the  highest  that  of 
Seattle.  80  per  cent,  of  total  retardation  in  Kansas  City 
becomes  32.5  per  cent,  for  Seattle;  19  per  cent,  of  nor- 
mality in  Kansas  City  corresponds  to  62  per  cent,  for 
[36] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

Seattle;  and  no  advanced  pupils  in  Kansas  City  becomes 
5  per  cent,  for  Seattle.  It  would  be  most  unfair  to  assume 
that  this  wide  difference  in  the  status  of  school  newsboys 
was  due  to  difference  in  the  relative  efficiency  of  the  edu- 
cational systems.  Such  variation  might  be  traceable 
directly  to  the  different  type  of  boy  entering  news  service 
in  the  two  cities,  or  to  certain  other  elements  for  which 
Kansas  City  funishes  no  comparative  data. 

Table  XIV  offers  the  same  comparative  statistics  on  the 
one-year  basis  of  measurement.  St.  Louis  is  omitted,  as 
there  are  no  statistics  from  which  tabulation  could  be 
compiled  on  this  basis.  Variations  due  to  change  in  the 
basis  of  estimate  are  self-explanatory. 

On  either  basis,  such  material  as  is  available  indicates 
that  in  comparison  with  the  newsboys  of  other  cities  the 
Seattle  newsboy  makes  a  good  showing  in  educational 
status. 

B.  Comparison  with  Other  School  Wage  Earners 

Time  will  doubtless  furnish  more  abundant  informa- 
tion for  the  solution  of  the  third  problem  than  is  our  privi- 
lege at  the  present  time.  No  studies  of  schoolboy  occupa- 
tions have  been  made  in  Seattle,  nor,  to  my  knowledge, 
have  we  any  contributions  on  this  subject  from  other 
cities.  Indeed,  with  the  status  of  vocational  work 
still  trembling  in  the  balance  and  the  dearth  of  trained 
workers  familiar  with  occupational  data,  we  could 
hardly  expect  much  published  information  along  these 
lines. 

September  22,  1916,  three  weeks  after  the  opening  of 
the  current  school  year,  an  employment  census  was  taken 
in  order  to  secure  comparative  statistics  for  this  study. 
964  schoolboys  were  engaged  in  wage-earning  occupations 

[37] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

other  than  newsboy  service:1  520  in  the  elementary  school 
and  444  in  the  high  school.  Table  XV  shows  the  school 
status  of  this  group  on  the  same  basis  as  the  newsboy 
groups  in  Tables  II,  III,  and  IV. 

Estimated  on  the  two-year  basis,  555  or  57.5  per  cent, 
are  normal,  332  or  34.4  per  cent,  are  backward,  and  77  or 
8  per  cent,  are  advanced.  This  is  not  as  good  a  showing 
as  was  made  by  the  Curtis  boys,  but  is  slightly  better 
than  that  of  the  daily  boys.2 

43,  or  8.2  per  cent.,  of  elementary  workers  are  in  the 
primary  grades;  125,  or  24  per  cent.,  are  under  12  years 
of  age.  The  largest  number  in  the  elementary  school  at 
any  one  age  is  118,  or  21.9  per  cent,  at  13  years,  and  the 
largest  number  in  any  one  grade  is  160,  or  30.3  per  cent.,  in 
the  eighth  grade.  The  highest  combination  of  age  and 
grade  is  50  at  14  years  in  the  eighth  grade,  followed  closely 
by  48  at  13  years  in  the  eighth  and  the  same  number 
16  years  in  the  sophomore  year.  Two  of  these  groups 
meet  the  normal  requirements,  and  one  is  in  advance. 

Comparison  of  these  statistics  with  similar  statistics 
for  the  newsboy  groups  shows  8.2  per  cent,  in  the  primary 
grades  for  general  employment  versus  23.2  per  cent,  for 
newsboys,  and  24  per  cent,  under  12  in  general  employ- 
ment versus  36.1  per  cent,  in  newsboy  service.3  The  largest 
number  any  one  age  is  approximately  the  same  (13  years) 
for  both  groups.  The  eighth-grade  educational  status  of 

1  The  various  occupations  represented  are  listed  in  Appendix  II. 
Boys  who  run  errands  occasionally  for  2  cents  per  errand,  and  similar 
irregular  employments,  are  omitted. 

2  57  %  of  sellers  are  normal  or  advanced,  42  %  retarded. 

64  %  of  carriers  are  normal  or  advanced,  35  %  retarded. 

65  %  of  general  workers  are  normal  or  advanced,  34  %  retarded. 

3  Appendix  III  gives  a  number  of  examples  of  the  class  of  service, 
the  hours  of  employment,  and  the  remuneration  of  young  workers. 

[38] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


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[39] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

the  largest  number  of  general  workers  is  considerably 
higher  than  the  corresponding  figures  for  the  newsboy 
group.  The  highest  combinations  for  age  and  grade  are 
normal  or  advanced  for  both  groups. 

The  reader  is  again  reminded  that  the  laws  of  Wash- 
ington forbid  the  employment  of  boys  under  14  years  of 
age  in  other  than  farm  or  household  service  without  first 
securing  labor  certificates.  263  of  the  964  boys  are  under 
14  years  of  age.  62  elementary  boys  are  shown  to  be 
employed  in  farm  and  household  service,  but  as  only  two 
after  school  or  Saturday  labor  certificates  are  in  force, 
it  is  logical  to  assume  that  many  of  the  number  are  ille- 
gally employed.1 

Table  XVI  classifies  retardation  by  years  and  corre- 
sponds to  Table  XI  for  newsboys. 

209  or  40.1  per  cent  of  elementary  boys  in  general 
employment  are  retarded  in  comparison  with  41.3  per 
cent,  of  the  newsboys.  69.3  per  cent,  are  retarded  one 
year,  22.4  per  cent,  two  years,  6.2  per  cent,  three  years, 
and  1.9  per  cent,  four  or  more  years.  One-year  retarda- 
tion shows  an  increase  over  that  of  newsboys,  but  all 
other  years  show  a  decrease.  The  highest  percentage  of 
retardation,  as  with  newsboys,  is  found  in  the  fifth  grade, 
while  the  largest  number  retarded  changes  from  the 
sixth  to  the  seventh  grade. 

123  or  27.9  per  cent,  of  high-school  workers  are  retarded 
in  comparison  with  32.6  per  cent,  of  newsboys;  56  per  cent, 
one  year,  28.4  per  cent,  two  years,  8.9  per  cent,  three  years, 
and  6.5  per  cent,  four  or  more  years.  The  lowest  per- 
centage of  retardation  for  both  groups  is  in  the  freshman 

1  Our  recent  Vocational  Report  called  attention  to  a  similar  condi- 
tion in  1915-16  and  suggested  means  of  handling  school  boy  and  girl 
employment  so  that  labor  violations  would  be  reduced  to  the  minimum. 

[40] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


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[41] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

year.  Over  90  per  cent,  of  total  retardation  among  news- 
boys occurs  in  the  one  and  two  year  groups,  while  the 
general  worker  has  only  84.4  per  cent,  in  the  same  group. 
As  a  general  conclusion,  retardation  statistics  for  news- 
boys compared  with  the  same  class  of  statistics  for  all 
other  schoolboy  wage  earners  show  a  slight  disadvantage 
for  the  daily  newsboy.  This,  however,  is  not  sufficient, 
without  more  minute  analysis,  to  warrant  the  assump- 
tion that  such  slight  gains  or  losses  as  there  may  be  in  the 
different  items  are  due  to  the  difference  in  employment 
influence. 

C.   Comparison  with  Total  School  Registration 

Solution  of  the  fourth  problem  lies  entirely  in  the 
future.  Seattle,  as  is  the  case  with  a  large  majority  of 
other  cities,  does  not  have  at  its  command  the  educational 
data  relative  to  retardation  which  would  permit  compari- 
son of  the  status  of  newsboys  in  each  grade  with  the  status 
of  non-employed  boys  in  the  same  grade.1  Therefore,  our 
nearest  approximation  to  the  solution  of  this  problem 
lies  in  comparing  the  educational  status  of  all  schoolboys 
with  the  educational  status  of  newsboys.  The  latter,  of 
necessity,  are  included  in  the  total,  as  is  also  the  group  of 
schoolboys  engaged  in  general  employment. 

The  Annual  Reports  of  the  Seattle  Schools  do  not  include 
full  data  for  determining  the  educational  status  of  the 
entire  school  population.  A  complete  age  and  grade  cen- 
sus has  been  taken  for  the  express  purpose  of  securing  this 

1  So  far  as  I  know,  this  is  the  first  study  of  its  type  made  from  within 
the  schools  on  the  subject  of  pupil  employment.  Similar  special  studies 
including  retardation  should  supplement  general  school  studies  on  the 
same  subject  and  should  lead  to  greater  accuracy  in  determining  its 
causes. 

[42: 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


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NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


information  for  our  study.  Statistics  were  obtained  dur- 
ing the  first  week  in  October.  Naturally  they  will  be  some- 
what more  favorable  than  the  corresponding  statistics 
secured  for  the  newsboys  at  the  close  of  the  last  school 
year. 

The  results  of  the  census  are  presented  in  Table  XVII. 

Table  XVIII  classifies  the  entire  male  population 
attending  public  school  according  to  educational  status 
as  normal,  backward,  and  advanced.  The  two-year 
basis  has  been  used,  and  the  table  has  been  arranged  for 
comparison  with  Table  X,  which  contains  similar  infor- 
mation relative  to  the  newsboys. 

TABLE  XVIII.    SCHOOL  STATUS  OF  MALE  REGISTRATION.1 
OCTOBER,  1916.     16,629.     (TWO-YEAR  BASIS) 


Grade 

Normal 

Backward 

Advanced 

Total 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

I 
II 
III 
IV 
V 
VI 
VII 
VIII 

2135 
1539 
1426 
1262 
1113 
954 
957 
806 

94 
81.4 
75 
69.6 
64.4 
63.9 
63.2 
63.8 

135 
161 

254 
363 
442 
386 
429 
281 

5.9 
8.5 
13.3 
20 
25.6 
25.8 
28.2 
22.2 

2270 
1889 
1901 
1813 
1726 
1492 
1514 
1262 

99.9 
99.9 
99.9 
100 
99.9 
99.8 
100 
99.8 

189 
221 
188 
171 
152 
130 
175 

10 
11.6 
10.4 
9.9 
10.1 
8.6 
13.8 

Total  elem. 

IX 
X 

XI 
XII 

Total  H.  S. 

10192 

700 
415 
305 
246 

1666 

73.4 

63.4 
56.6 
54.7 
66.3 

60.1 

2449 

304 
243 
194 
91 

832 

17.5 

27.5 
33.1 
34.9 
24.5 

30.1 

1226 

100 
74 
56 
34 

264 

8.9 

9 
10.1 
10 
9.1 

9.1 

13867 

1104 
732 
555 
371 

2762 

99.8 

99.9 
99.8 
99.6 
99.9 

Grand  total 

11858 

3281 

... 

1490 

16629 

1  Seattle  was  one  of  the  318  cities  which  contributed  this  same  class 
of  information  to  Age  and  Grade  Census  of  Schools  and  Colleges,  pub- 

[44] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

The  uniformity  of  decline,  from  grade  to  grade,  in  both 
numbers  and  in  normality  is  decidedly  interesting  in  con- 
nection with  the  complete  group.  It  indicates  what  has 
frequently  been  mentioned  in  our  vocational  reports, 
that  retardation  in  the  high  school  is  a  serious  factor  in 
elimination.  The  same  uniformity  is  found  in  the  retarded 
group,  except  for  the  break  at  the  eighth  grade.  This  is 
easily  explained  when  we  recall  that  many  boys  are  freed 
from  the  influence  of  the  Compulsory  Education  Law  at 
this  age,  and  those  who  so  desire  drop  out.  From  grade 
to  grade  there  is  little  change  in  the  percentage  of  advanced 
pupils. 

Comparing  these  statistics  with  the  same  statistics  for 
newsboys,  we  find  that  the  elementary  daily  newsboys  as 
a  group  rank  considerably  lower  than  does  the  total  attend- 
ance group."  The  Curtis  group  outranks  the  total  group 
on  every  point.  The  high-school  newsboys  as  a  group 
outrank  the  total  group  on  every  point.  Curtis  boys  are 
again  in  the  lead. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  the  highest  percentage 
of  retarded  Curtis  boys  is  in  the  third  grade  and  that  this 
is  the  only  grade  in  which  their  retardation  percentage  is 
above  the  retardation  percentage  of  total  registration. 
This  may  be  explained  in  part  by  the  fact  that  several 
mothers  have  arranged  for  Curtis  sales  for  the  express 
purpose  of  "bringing  out"  their  boys.  One  little  fellow 
gave  us  the  following  reason  for  selling:  "Mamma  said, 
'Get  to  work!  Get  to  work  quick!  Get  to  work  about 

lished  by  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  in  1911.  The  mate- 
rial in  this  pamphlet  was  three  years  old  when  published,  but  it  is  very 
useful  for  historical  purposes.  It  tells  us  that  in  1908  49.4  per  cent,  of 
Seattle  public  schoolboys  were  normal,  49.4  per  cent,  were  retarded,  and 
1.2  per  cent,  were  advanced. 

[45] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

something,  I  don't  care  what. ' "  He  was  quite  backward 
in  school  and  showed  little  initiative  in  anything.  In 
such  cases  newsboy  employment  is  a  method  of  correcting 
retardation  due  to  other  causes,  rather  than  being  itself 
a  cause  of  retardation ! 

Table  XIX  shows  total  male  retardation  by  years  and 
the  percentage  of  total  enrollment  retarded  in  each  grade. 
For  the  convenience  of  students  we  have  added  Table 
XX,  comparison  of  retardation  for  total  registration,  for 
newsboy  registration,  and  for  boys  in  other  employments. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  both  the  latter  groups  are 
included  in  the  former,  while  the  daily  boys  and  the 
Curtis  boys  are  separated. 

Comparative  age,  grade,  and  retardation  statistics 
permit  many  opportunities  for  unfair  conclusions.  Em- 
ployment of  any  kind  is  uncommon  among  first-  and 
second-grade  boys;  retardation  in  the  same  grades  is 
naturally  low,  therefore  the  total  group  has  the  advan- 
tage of  the  high  normality  percentage  in  these  grades. 
In  the  eighth  grade  the  daily  newsboy  increases  his  re- 
tardation percentage,  while  the  non-employed  and  general- 
employment  boys  decrease  their  percentage.  Is  this  an 
annual  occurrence,  or  is  it  an  accident?  If  usual,  why? 
Is  it  because  the  character  of  newsboy  employment  per- 
mits boys  who  must  aid  themselves  financially  to  attend 
school  and  earn  money  at  the  same  time,  while  most 
other  employments  do  not?  Is  it  because  the  newsboy 
prefers  to  remain  in  school  after  the  removal  of  legal 
compulsion,  while  other  boys  do  not?  Have  the  teachers 
been  able  to  reduce  the  retardation  percentage  propor- 
tionately more  rapidly  in  one  grade  than  in  another? 
Why  40.3  per  cent,  of  retardation  among  eighth-grade 
daily  boys  and  only  22.2  per  cent,  among  ninth-grade 

[46] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

boys?  Why  is  retardation  percentage  higher  for  high- 
school  non-employed  boys  than  for  employed  boys?  If 
decline  in  retardation  percentage  means  elimination,  what 
becomes  of  the  eliminated  boy,  and  what  use  does  he 
make  of  his  education?  What  influence  does  employ- 
ment during  school  life  have  on  his  future  vocational 
career? 

These  and  many  similar  problems  suggested  by  our 
statistics  invite  the  serious  thought  of  educators.  We 
shall  not,  however,  be  able  to  answer  them  in  terms  of 
education  until,  with  retardation  statistics,  we  can  con- 
sider each  individual's  rank  in  class  and  all  the  causes 
contributing  to  retardation.1  School  systems  have  prac- 
tically exhausted  the  older  educational  methods  of  re- 
ducing retardation  in  so  far  as  it  is  due  to  repetition  of 
grades.  When  our  school  work  is  thoroughly  motivated 
we  shall  probably  do  still  better,  but  in  the  meantime 
would  it  not  be  well  to  know  the  other  causes  of 
retardation?  2 

For  our  immediate  purpose  —  to  ascertain  the  influ- 
ence of  newsboy  service  on  the  educational  status  of  boys 
so  employed  —  it  is  not  sufficient  to  tabulate  statistics 
showing  a  higher  or  a  lower  percentage  of  retardation  in 

1  This  will  be  a  comparatively  easy  matter  when  our  vocational 
departments  are  under  the  direction  of  thoroughly  trained  research 
students.    Age  alone  is  a  decidedly  unfair  retardation  test. 

2  Our  Annual  Report,  June,  1916,  shows  92.5  per  cent,  of  the  number 
belonging  in  the  elementary  school  at  the  close  of  the  year  to  have  been 
promoted  and  7.5  per  cent,  retained.    Our  statistics  for  October,  1916, 
show  17.5  per  cent,  retardation.     Undoubtedly  some  retarded  pupils 
drop  out  before  the  close  of  the  year,  but  would  it  not  be  well  to  seek  the 
cause  of  the  10  per  cent,  of  retardation  which  is  not  due  to  retention  last 
June?     A   certain  percentage   would,    of   course,    be   due   to   former 
retentions. 

[47: 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


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Newsboy  registration  
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[48] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

one  group  or  in  the  other.  One  boy  may  be  retarded 
because,  for  one  reason  or  another,  he  is  deliberately  and 
habitually  lagging  behind  his  mates.  Another  boy  may 
be  retarded  because  he  has  been  out  of  school  and  thereby 
lost  his  normal  position  in  the  system.  Either  or  both 
boys  may  be  newsboys.  Such  employment  may  be  in 
no  way  a  contributing  element  to  retardation,  or  it  may 
be  the  controlling  factor. 

III.    ATTENDANCE  RECORDS  OF  NEWSBOYS 

.  Irregular  attendance,  wherever  found,  is  always  an 
important  educational  consideration  and  is  almost  always 
an  influential  element  in  retardation.  To  what  extent  is 
it  found  among  Seattle  newsboys,  and  to  what  extent  is 
it  due  to  newsboy  service? 

Attendance  records  for  the  1093  elementary  newsboys 
—  517  daily  sellers,  362  daily  carriers,  and  214  Curtis 
boys  —  were  secured  from  the  teachers'  registers.1  Abso- 
lute accuracy  for  the  entire  year  is  not  claimed,  because 
all  teachers'  grades  were  given  as  soon  as  possible  after 
our  interview  with  the  pupil.  This  means  that  attendance 
records  cover  the  period  from  September,  1915,  to  April, 
May,  or  June,  1916.  Allowance  for  the  shorter  period 
must  be  made  when  comparing  attendance  records  for 
the  entire  school. 

153  sellers,  155  carriers,  and  76  Curtis  boys  had  perfect 
attendance  records;  i.e.,  they  had  been  neither  absent 
nor  tardy. 

The  annual  report  for  1916  shows  a  total  enrollment  of 
18,566  boys,  with  perfect  attendance  for  1940,  and  we 
have  the  following  comparative  statistics: 

1  Attendance  records  were  not  secured  for  high-school  boys. 

[49] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

TABLE  XXI.    COMPARATIVE  ATTENDANCE  RECORDS  l 


Enrollment 

Perfect 
Attendance 

%  Perfect 
Attendance 

Total  male  

18,566 

1940 

10  4 

Newsboys  

1093 

384 

35  1 

Per  cent  

5.8 

19.7 

Percentage  of  perfect  .attendance  in  total  enrollment  is 
10.4;  for  newsboys,  35.1.  Newsboys  contribute  but  5.8 
per  cent,  of  total  enrollment,  while  they  furnish  19.7  per 
cent,  of  total  perfect  attendance. 

There  is  but  one  legitimate  conclusion  —  that  newsboys 
contribute  more  than  the  average  toward  perfect  attend- 
ance. This  contribution  is  larger  than  it  appears  when 
we  recall  that  the  total  percentage  is  higher  than  it  would 
be  were  we  able  to  compare  newsboy  and  non-newsboy, 
rather  than  newsboy  and  total. 

If  there  be  any  valid  explanation  for  the  superior  attend- 
ance record  of  newsboys,  it  would  be  worth  finding  for 
the  benefit  of  non-newsboys.  The  Compulsory  Educa- 
tion Law  can  hardly  be  offered,  as  it  applies  uniformly  to 
all  boys  under  14.  It  is  quite  probable,  however,  that 
employed  boys  who  are  irregular  in  attendance  are  more 
in  fear  of  the  law  than  are  the  non-employed  boys.  In 
one  case  the  cause  of  absence  might  easily  be  assumed  to 
be  "employment";  in  the  other  it  might  be  difficult  to 
find  any  tangible  cause. 

St.  Louis  is  our  only  city  which  offers  information  on 
newsboy  attendance  other  than  personal  opinion  without 


1  Carriers  were  42.8  per  cent,  perfect. 
Curtis  boys,  35.5  per  cent,  perfect. 
Sellers,  29.5  per  cent,  perfect. 


[50] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


statistical  verification.  Her  retardation  study  closes  with 
the  following  statement:  "The  retardation  of  these  boys 
[newsboys]  is  beyond  all  question  due  in  a  large  measure 
to  their  irregular  attendance  at  school."  1  Consulting  the 
statistics  offered  in  support  of  this  conclusion,  one  wonders 
what  St.  Louis  attendance  officers  were  doing  when  they 
permitted  such  conditions  to  prevail,  and  especially  when 
the  writer  adds,  "Most  of  this  irregularity  was  willful 
absence  from  school."  No  facts  are  offered  to  prove 
either  that  willful  absence  is  an  element  in  newsboy 
service,  or  that  the  type  of  boy  who  is  willfully  absent 
prefers  the  newsboy  service. 

Only  9  elementary  pupils  had  early  dismissals  in  order 
to  sell.  Quite  a  large  number  of  high-school  carriers, 
especially  those  who  secure  their  papers  from  downtown 
offices,  have  early  dismissals.  Some  also  are  excused  early 
about  the  first  of  the  month  in  order  to  complete 
collections. 

Were  our  newsboys  more  irregular  in  attendance  than 

1  IRREGULARITY  OP  SCHOOL  ATTENDANCE  OP  426  NEWSBOYS. 


Grades 

Number  in 
Grade 

Number 
Irregular  in 
Attendance 

Percentage 
Irregular  in 
Attendance 

1st 
2d 
3d 
4th 
5th 
6th 
7th 
8th 

36 
72 
101 
107 
65 
34 
9 
2 

26 
52 
70 
65 
26 
10 
1 
1 

72.2 
72.2 
69.3 
60.7 
40 
29.4 
11.1 
50 

Total 

426 

251 

58.9 

The  Newsboy  of  St.  Louis,  page  7.     The  statistics  were 
probably  secured  in  1910. 

[51] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

other  boys,  as  they  seem  to  be  in  some  cities,  that  in 
itself  would  hardly  be  prima  facie  evidence  that  such 
irregularity  was  due  to  newsboy  service.  We  should 
need  to  go  a  step  further  and  ascertain  the  length  of 
time  in  newsboy  service  relative  to  age  of  entrance; 
the  degree  and  date  of  retardation  relative  to  length 
of  service;  the  number  of  hours  employed;  and  the 
time  of  employment. 

Table  XXII  indicates  the  length  of  newsboy  service 
in  its  relation  to  age. 

403,  or  approximately  45  per  cent.,  of  elementary  daily 
boys  and  173,  or  80  per  cent.,  of  elementary  Curtis  boys1 
have  been  employed  as  newsboys  one  year  or  less.  Retar- 
dation statistics  are  tabulated  on  an  annual  basis.  Obvi- 
ously, the  beginnings  of  any  retardation  for  these  groups 
must  antedate  the  time  of  entering  newsboy  service.  We 
have  checked  the  individual  records  of  the  remaining 
number,  476,  or  55  per  cent.,  of  elementary  daily  boys 
and  41,  or  20  per  cent.,  of  elementary  Curtis  boys, 
who  have  been  in  the  service  one  or  more  years, 
and  find  no  evidence  to  prove  that  length  of  service 
in  general  is  an  important  element  either  in  irregular- 
ity per  se  or  in  irregularity  as  a  contributing  cause  to 
retardation. 

Averages,  however,  never  disclose  extremes,  and 
extremes,  for  our  purpose,  are  more  important  than  are 
averages.  In  order  that  those  who  desire  may  study  the 
problems  of  attendance  and  retardation  in  their  relation 

1  The  higher  percentage  of  labor  turnover  among  Curtis  boys  is 
accounted  for  by  the  type  of  boy  and  the  character  of  service.  The 
total  number  of  boys  employed  has  not  varied  materially  for  several 
years,  while,  on  an  average,  3  new  boys  enter  and  3  old  boys  leave  the 
service  each  week. 

[52] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


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[53] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

to  the  individual  newsboy  from  first-hand  evidence,  we 
have  tabulated  in  Appendix  IV  all  cases  of  elementary 
daily  newsboy  absence  whenever  such  absence  exceeded 
five  days.1 

There  are  71  such  cases  among  our  879  elementary 
daily  boys:  49  are  retarded,  19  are  normal,  and  3  are 
advanced.  The  relation  between  irregular  attendance 
and  retardation  is  unquestioned.  But  to  what  extent  is 
irregularity  due  to  newsboy  service?  26  out  of  the  49  who 
are  retarded  have  been  in  newsboy  service  one  year  or  less, 
some  only  a  few  weeks.  According  to  our  previous  con- 
clusions, newsboy  service  could  not  be  held  responsible 
for  this  group.  The  following  facts  prevail  with  reference 
to  the  remaining  23 :  4  rank  A,  5  rank  B,  9  rank  C,  and  5 
rank  low;  12  are  employed  short  hours,2  5  are  employed 
Saturday  or  Sunday  only,  and  6  work  both  long  and  late 
hours;3  12  are  under  undesirable  home  influence  or  are 
influenced  by  unfortunate  causes  connected  with  the 
home,  5  are  employed  in  other  work  also,  4  have  been  ill, 
1  is  a  mental  defective,  and  1  appears  to  have  had  no 
outside  influence  other  than  newsboy  service. 

There  are  many  other  facts  which  might  be  brought  out 

1  Material  for  averages  is  easily  secured  and  easily  presented.    The 
moment   an   investigator   attempts   to   present   material   to   illustrate 
extremes,  there  are  serious  difficulties.    Data  are  usually  too  abundant 
to  be  offered  in  toto,  and  unless  they  are  so  offered  the  writer's  selective 
ability  is  open  to  question.    At  some  point  in  this  study  I  have  been 
anxious  to  indicate  the  type  of  material  from  which  we  were  drawing 
conclusions  and  to  present  all  the  information  on  some  one  subject. 
Fortunately  irregular  attendance  is  a  good  basic  factor  for  indicating  the 
relation  between  the  lower  extremes  of  newsboy  service  and  educa- 
tion, and  at  the  same  time  the  total  number  of  cases  involved  was  not 
too  large  for  presentation. 

2  Short  hours  means  2  hours  per  day  or  less. 

3  Undesirable  hours  are  discussed  later. 

[54] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

by  further  analyzation,  but  we  would  seem  safe  to  con- 
clude that  social  influences,  emanating  from  the  home, 
were  a  much  more  important  element  in  irregularity  than 
were  occupational  influences.  On  the  other  hand,  even 
with  this  minute  analysis  of  extremes,  we  are  unsafe  to 
conclude  that  the  same  educational  reactions  follow  the 
same  contributing  influences.  No.  4  has  worked  2  years, 
ranks  B,  is  in  advance  of  his  grade,  and  lives  in  a  broken 
home.  No.  43  has  worked  the  same  length  of  time,  under 
apparently1  the  same  home  conditions,  is  retarded,  and 
ranks  C.  No.  44  ranks  no  better  educationally  than  No. 
43,  although  he  has  sold  but  one  month  and  is  recorded 
as  "a  fine  boy  from  a  fine  home."  2 

Table  XXIII  indicates  the  number  of  hours  of  service 
per  month  rendered  by  1118  daily  boys,  and  Table  XXIV 
offers  the  same  facts  for  Curtis  boys. 


TABLE  XXIII.    HOURS  PER  MONTH.     1118  DAILY  BOYS 


Grades 

High  School 

Tntal 

Tntal 

Sellers 

Carriers 

Sellers 

Carriers 

15  hours  or  less 

83 

56 

139 

12 

5 

17 

15-30 

61 

57 

118 

6 

26 

32 

30-40 

23 

66 

89 

20 

20 

40-50 

43 

72 

115 

2 

46 

48 

50-60 

7 

48 

55 

8 

39 

47 

60-70 

57 

18 

75 

6 

20 

26 

70-100 

180 

33 

213 

16 

20 

36 

Over  100  

63 

12 

75 

11 

2 

13 

Totals 

517 

362 

879 

61 

178 

239 

1  One  never  knows  what  influence  may  be  behind  that  which  is 
apparent. 

2  Difference  in  natural  abilities  is,  of  course,  very  important. 

[55] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

TABLE  XXIV.     HOURS  EMPLOYED  PER  MONTH.     239  CURTIS  BOYS 


2  hrs.  or 
less 

2-4 

4-8 

8-12 

12-20 

Over 
20 

Totals 

Grades.  .  .  . 
High  school 

47 

33 

52 

7 

60 
12 

20 

4 

2 
2 

214 
25 

Totals  

47 

33 

59 

72 

24 

4 

239 

257  elementary  daily  boys  and  49  high-school  daily  boys 
average  one  hour  or  less  per  day;  259  elementary  and 
115  high-school  boys  average  between  one  and  two  hours 
per  day;  363  elementary  and  75  high-school  boys  average 
over  two  hours  per  day.1  No  Curtis  boys  average  as  high 
as  an  hour  per  day. 

What  relation  exists  between  the  number  of  hours 
employed  and  the  educational  status  of  the  newsboy  as 
influenced  by  regularity  of  attendance? 

The  physical  influence  of  excessive  labor  is  discussed 
in  another  section.  Our  question  at  this  point  is  —  how 
many  hours  of  outside  employment  may  the  average 
schoolboy  undertake  without  such  employment  causing 
irregular  attendance  and  consequent  low  educational 
status?  If  we  assume  not  over  two  hours  daily  to  be  a 
reasonable  limit,  we  have  363  elementary  daily  boys  and 
75  high-school  boys  who  are  exceeding  the  limit.  How  do 
these  boys  compare  in  scholastic  standing  and  regularity 
of  attendance  with  the  boys  who  are  employed  two  hours 
or  less? 

Using  our  extremes  of  irregularity  tabulated  in  the 
Appendix,  we  find  21  boys  showing  connection  between 
irregular  attendance  and  long  hours  of  service,  23  showing 
connection  between  short  hours  and  irregularity,  and  12 


1  30  days  to  the  month  as  a  rough  estimate. 


[56] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

showing  connection  between  Sunday  service  and  irregu- 
larity. Proceeding  a  step  further,  we  find  the  following 
facts  for  the  21  long-hour  connections:  5  rank  A,  4  rank 
B,  8  rank  C,  and  4  rank  low;  6  are  normal,  14  retarded, 
and  1  advanced;  12  have  sold  less  than  one  year  and  9 
upwards  of  one  year;  9  are  under  undesirable  home 
influence,  2  come  from  unusually  good  homes,  1  has 
skipped  a  grade,  and  6  show  no  definite  influence  aside 
from  newsboy  service.  Again,  we  feel  justified  in  conclud- 
ing that  home  influence  is  the  strongest  single  factor,  but 
the  individual  cases  show  such  a  variety  of  influencing 
combinations  that  no  definite  conclusions  are  possible. 

Two  hours  of  service  performed  by  daylight  may  be  in 
perfect  harmony  with  educational  progress.  The  same 
number  of  hours  of  service  performed  after  normal  retir- 
ing hours  or  before  normal  rising  hours  may  be  decidedly 
detrimental  educationally. 

Table  XXV  indicates  the  hours  at  which  service  might 
easily  be  detrimental  to  the  young  and  hence  be  a  con- 
tributing factor  to  low  educational  status.  Carriers  for 
the  morning  paper  are  not  included,  as  all  are  older  boys. 
That  does  not  indicate,  however,  that  none  is  feeling  the 
physical  and  mental  strain  of  abnormal  hours  of  service 
in  connection  with  the  regular  demands  of  high-school 
education.  Boys  14  years  of  age  and  under  who  are 
employed  before  5  A.M.  or  after  7  P.M.  are  considered  to 
be  rendering  service  during  hours  which  are  undesirable 
for  boys  of  that  age. 

Statistics  are  self-explanatory.  They  should  challenge 
the  thought  of  every  citizen.  Leaving  the  welfare  of  the 
individual  boy  entirely  out  of  consideration,  is  it  social 
economy  to  permit  boys  under  12  to  sell  newspapers 
between  9  P.M.  and  midnight?  Fourteen  do!  Is  it  com- 

[57] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


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EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

munity  wisdom  to  permit  boys  under  12  to  sell  papers 
after  midnight?  Five  do!  Is  it  creditable  to  Seattle's 
social  vision  that  approximately  100  of  her  future  citizens 
14  years  of  age  and  under  are  selling  papers  on  her  public 
streets  when  they  should  be  in  bed?  The  citizen  of  to- 
morrow is  in  the  hands  of  the  citizen  of  today.  The 
responsibility  is  not  all  at  the  schoolhouse  door.  Edu- 
cational vision  can  supplement,  but  never  supplant, 
community  vision. 

The  individual  records  of  this  group  of  boys  give  us 
our  most  significant  facts  regarding  the  lower  extremes  of 
newsboy  service.  Only  11  of  the  number  appear  in  our 
tabulation  for  irregular  attendance.  These  little  fellows 
are  neither  tardy  nor  absent;  they  would  not  dare  to  be; 
but  too  many  for  the  credit  of  our  city  have  said:  "I'm 
too  tired  to  understand;"  "Sometimes  I  think  I'll  go  to 
sleep  hollering;"  "Couldn't  you  find  me  some  day  work 
so  I  could  go  to  bed  nights?"  "I  get  so  excited  selling 
I  can't  sleep  when  I  do  get  home."  89  out  of  the  119  are 
retarded,  93  are  selling  because  of  economic  pressure,  and 
97  contribute  all  their  earnings  to  the  family  budget. 
The  overworked  newsboy  is  the  retarded  boy  in  the  making, 
no  matter  what  his  status  may  be  today.  Too  often, 
also,  he  is  the  delinquent  boy  in  the  making. 

The  problems  of  this  group  extend  beyond  the  province 
of  the  school.  The  community  must  decide  whether  or 
not  wages  contributed  to  the  family  budget,  under  the 
conditions  mentioned  above,  be  wise  or  unwise  social 
economy.1 

1  Appendix  V  gives  a  number  of  typical  illustrations  of  newsboys  who 
work  at  undesirable  hours.  It  is  evident  that  no  connection  can  be 
proved  between  retardation  and  hours.  There  are  many  other  contrib- 

[59] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

IV.    EDUCATIONAL  RANK  OF  NEWSBOYS  IN  CLASS 

Retardation,  estimated  on  the  age  basis  alone,  is  at 
best  a  poor  method  of  determining  the  efficiency  of  school 
instruction  or  the  ability  of  pupils  to  benefit  by  such 
instruction.  Many  boys  who  are  retarded  rank  high 
scholastically.  They  are  retarded  for  causes  which  in  no 
way  reflect  discredit  on  either  instructional  efficiency  or 
on  individual  ambition  and  ability.  Present  educational 
rank  in  class,  combined  with  the  reasons  for  variations 
from  normal  in  both  class  rank  and  in  position  in  the  sys- 
tem, is  the  only  method  by  which  to  attain  accurate 
results.  We  have  no  facts  by  means  of  which  to  make  this 
method  effective.  Our  best  substitute  is  comparison  of 
academic  rank  in  class  for  the  newsboy  group  with  the 
same  facts  for  boys  engaged  in  other  occupations,  and 
with  the  promotion  statistics  for  the  entire  elementary 
school  at  the  close  of  the  last  school  year. 

Rank  in  class  for  newsboys  was  secured  in  April,  May, 
and  June,  1916;  rank  in  class  for  boys  in  other  employ- 
ments in  September,  1916.  Grades  obtained  late  in  the 
year  indicate  the  result  of  a  year  of  educational  coopera- 
tion between  pupil  and  teacher;  those  obtained  at  the 
opening  of  the  year  are  apt  to  indicate  the  result  of  the 
first  impression  made  by  the  pupil.  Promotion  statis- 
tics at  the  close  of  the  year  indicate  the  percentage  of 
promotions  and  retentions  among  the  number  who  con- 
tinued in  school  late  enough  in  the  year  to  obtain  definite 
ratings.  Our  elimination  statistics  for  last  year  l  show  a 
considerable  number  of  "drop  outs"  to  have  been  retarded 

uting  causes.    Appendix  VI  gives  illustrations  of  the  same  facts  relative 
to  schoolboys  in  other  employments. 

1  Tabulated  in  our  Vocational  Guidance  Report. 

[*»3 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


or  failing  to  pass.  It  is  logical  to  assume  that  quite  a 
number  of  eliminated  pupils  would  have  been  "reten- 
tions" on  the  registers  at  the  close  of  the  year.1  In  view 
of  these  facts,  both  the  boys  in  other  employments  and 
the  boys  who  were  rated  at  the  close  of  the  year  should 
show  a  rather  better  academic  standing  than  the  news- 
boys. There  is  an  equal  opportunity  for  the  personal 
equation  in  each  group,  hence  we  do  not  need  to  take  that 
into  consideration.2 

TABLE  XXVI.    RANK  IN  CLASS.     1002  ELEMENTARY  NEWSBOYS. 
443  ELEMENTARY  GENERAL  WORKERS 


Rank 

Daily 

Totals 

Curtis 

Newsboy 
Grand  Total 

General 
Workers 

Sell- 
ers 

Car- 
riers 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

A 
B 

C 

Low3.  .. 

45 
168 
172 

62 

37 
162 
127 
36 

82 
330 
299 
98 

10.1 

40.8 
37 
12 

40 
74 
59 
20 

20.7 
38.3 
30.5 
10.3 

122 

404 
358 
118 

12.1 

40.3 
35.7 
11.7 

46 
224 
147 
26 

10.3 
50.5 
32.9 

5.8 

Totals  .  . 

447 

362 

809 

100 

193 

100 

1002 

100 

443 

100 

1  Sometimes  they  drop  out  because  they  know  they  will  be  repeaters 
anyway  and  they  will  lose  nothing  educationally  by  going  to  work  for 
the  remainder  of  the  year  and  the  summer.    I  doubt  not  that  some  of 
these   are   to  be  found  in  the  present  17.5  per  cent,  of  retardation, 
although  they  may  not  have  been  in  the  7.5  per  cent,  of  retentions  last 
June. 

2  Rank  in  class  was  not  asked  for  in  the  high  school  because  of  the 
difficulty  of  securing  ratings  except  at  the  close  of  the  semester.    The  very 
young  are  omitted.    We  have  used  809  out  of  879  elementary  daily  boys, 
193  out  of  214  Curtis  boys,  and  443  out  of  520  general  workers. 

3  Pupils  marked  "Low"  are  those  whose  promotion  is  seriously  in 
danger,  and  we  assume  that  almost  without  exception  they  will  be 
retentions. 

[61] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

88  per  cent,  of  our  elementary  newsboys  were  ranking 
high  enough  for  regular  promotion  in  the  early  summer; 
94  per  cent,  of  wage  earners  in  general  employments  are 
ranking  the  same  in  September,  1916. 

Promotion  statistics  for  June,  1916,  do  not  distinguish 
between  sexes,  but,  as  an  indication  of  the  standing  of 
newsboys  in  comparison  with  the  total  enrollment  at  the 
close  of  the  year,  we  offer  the  following:  23,665,  or  92.5 
per  cent.,  received  promotions  and  1910,  or  7.5  per  cent., 
were  retained  in  their  grades.  In  view  of  the  fact  that 
newsboy  ratings  are  based  on  actual  standing,  while 
annual  promotions  always  contain  a  certain  percentage  of 
pupils  who  are  promoted  on  trial,  or  because  of  age,  size, 
repetition  of  work,  etc.,  the  comparison  seems  fairly 
favorable  for  the  newsboys. 

Comparison  of  retardation  and  retention  statistics  for 
each  group  shows  a  much  closer  relation  between  these 
two  factors  in  the  entire  group  than  in  either  of  the  two 
wage-earning  groups.  Naturally  the  educator  pauses  to 
wonder  if  this  is  because  more  retarded  boys  work,  or 
because  working  boys  gradually  become  retarded  boys. 
We  have  no  facts  to  warrant  conclusions  other  than  that 
we  have  found  nothing  to  prove  that  excessive  retardation 
is  due  to  newsboy  service  and  that  in  class  standing  the 
newsboy  is  not  far  outdistanced  by  his  non-employed 
mates. 

V.    CHARACTER   QUALITIES   OF  NEWSBOYS   AS 
REVEALED   IN   SCHOOL   LIFE 

Owing  to  the  widespread  movement  in  favor  of  voca- 
tional guidance  in  connection  with  educational  systems, 
we  are  coming  to  realize  that  education  includes  the 
attaining  of  high  rank  in  certain  fundamental  character 

[62] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

qualities  which  are  of  vastly  more  importance  for  success 
in  life  than  is  mere  academic  rank.  Employers  have 
pointed  the  way  for  this  more  inclusive  interpretation  of 
education,  and  school  systems  are  rapidly  following  their 
lead. 

For  three  years  our  vocational  department  has  been 
studying  the  commercial  value  of  these  fundamental 
character  qualities  in  comparison  with  the  like  value  of 
academic  qualifications.  We  are  unable  to  summarize 
our  own  results  as  well  as  has  the  National  Association  of 
Corporation  Schools  in  its  recent  Committee  Report:1 

After  all,  it  appears  to  be  a  fact  that  employers  lay  less  stress 
on  the  educational  qualifications  of  their  employees  than  on  char- 
acter, appearance,  skill,  personality,  willingness  to  work,  adapta- 
bility, and  other  similar  assets.  From  this  it  would  seem  that 
the  personnel  of  a  teaching  force,  the  type  of  mind,  and  the 
character  of  the  people  with  whom  the  child  is  brought  in  daily 
contact  is  of  even  more  importance  than  the  method  of  instruc- 
tion or  even  than  the  subject  to  be  studied. 

Teachers  and  pupils  have  become  accustomed  to  using 
certain  terms  to  designate  certain  elements  of  success: 
it  is  these  terms  which  are  included  under  this  division. 
The  personal  equation  is  probably  much  more  influential 
in  character  rating  than  it  is  in  academic  grading;  how- 
ever, we  believe  that  the  tabulation  of  teachers'  estimates 
on  these  points  will  be  of  value  in  deciding  what  type  of 
boy  is  employed  in  news  circulation  in  Seattle.  Table 
XXVII  contains  this  information. 

Employers  gave  us  some  assistance  in  this  same  type 
of  estimate.  We  have  found  comparison  of  the  educa- 

1  Our  methods  of  study  are  discussed  in  full  in  our  Vocational  Guid- 
ance Report. 

[63] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


[64] 


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EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

tional  and  commercial  basis  most  helpful.  Personality 
and  courtesy  seem  best  understood  by  the  teacher  and 
agree  more  uniformly  with  business  estimates.  Alert- 
ness and  initiative  are  least  understood  by  the  teacher 
and  there  is  wide  difference  in  the  degree  of  each  as  esti- 
mated by  teacher  and  by  employer.1  The  public  schools 
are  often  accused  of  killing  initiative.  Is  it  possible  that 
we  are  doing  just  this  thing,  not  intentionally,  but  because 
we  do  not  recognize  it  when  we  see  it  and  hence  fail  to 
make  proper  use  of  it  for  the  development  of  the  child?  2 
Many  teachers,  in  the  initial  stage  of  this  study,  were 
influenced  by  the  universal  prejudice  as  to  newsboy  serv- 
ice. It  was  not  uncommon  to  find  it  assumed  that  all 
newsboys  were  deficient  in  this,  that,  or  the  other.  When 
teachers  came  to  grade  their  own  boys  in  a  closer,  more 
impartial,  and  more  sympathetic  attitude,  they  found 
them  "not  so  black  as  they  had  been  painted."  With 
facts  at  hand  it  is  much  easier  to  realize  how  little  value 
there  is  to  be  placed  on  mere  personal  opinion. 

VI.    EDUCATIONAL  IDEALS   OF  NEWSBOYS 

While  the  previous  tabulations  are  all  of  importance, 
the  really  vital  problem,  so  far  as  the  education  of  the 
individual  is  concerned,  is  —  what  do  the  boys  themselves 
think  of  their  educational  status?  What  do  they  think 
of  the  educational  influence  of  newsboy  employment  in 
their  own  case? 

1  This  same  difference  in  standards  of  estimate  has  been  observed 
during  our  entire  period  of  service  in  the  vocational  department. 

2  We  had  a  number  of  very  interesting  examples  of  the  difference  in 
interpretation  of  "initiative."    On  one  record  the  teacher  had  written: 
"Better  off  out  of  the  business,  too  much  self-confidence  now."    She 
had  graded  the  boy  "low"  in  initiative.    The  circulation  manager  said: 
"One  of  the  most  resourceful  boys  we  ever  had." 

[65] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

All  older  elementary  boys  were  given  an  opportunity 
to  discuss  seriously  the  meaning  of  education  and  its 
value.  We  found  but  two  boys  who  were  totally  disin- 
terested and  saw  no  object  in  compulsory  attendance. 
One  "sees  nothing  to  it"  and  the  other  said,  "School  just 
doesn't  appeal  to  me."  One  boy  was  indifferent.  He  was 
willing  to  attend,  in  fact  preferred  to,  because  other  boys 
did  and  it  would  be  lonely  during  school  hours  when  he 
had  "nothing  else  to  do."  In  the  majority  of  cases,  when 
our  questions  were  considered  at  all,  they  brought  out 
thoughtful  answers.  These  were  especially  interesting 
from  the  educator's  point  of  view  because  practically 
all  were  looking  toward  a  commercial  return  on  their 
student  efforts.  The  job  was  the  goal  of  education. 
Not  always  the  dollar  in  the  job,  sometimes  it  was 
the  comparative  ease  and  pleasure  of  brain  work 
versus  the  physical  demands  of  labor  performed  by 
the  uneducated.  Occasionally  an  alien  boy  was  look- 
ing toward  citizenship,  but  even  then  the  practical 
motive  was  dominant. 

In  the  lower  grades  education  was  usually  interpreted 
to  mean  the  academic  fundamentals.  The  beneficial 
influences  of  the  service  were  accuracy  and  speed  in  arith- 
methical  calculations,  interest  in  reading  the  news,  hav- 
ing a  bank  account,  studying  the  war  news,  etc.  In  the 
upper  grammar  grades  and  in  the  high  school,  boys  had  a 
very  comprehensive  idea  of  what  was  comprised  in  edu- 
cation. Expressions  similar  to  the  following  were  common : 

"Contact  with  different  classes  of  people  teaches  something 
not  taught  in  school." 

"It  broadens  you  by  forcing  you  to  adapt  to  all  kinds  of 
conditions." 

"School  life  is  very  narrow.    You  get  broad  selling  papers." 

[66] 


EDUCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

"The  schools  only  half  educate,  we  have  to  get  the  other  half 
ourselves." 

"The  schools  are  good  for  culture,  but  they  miss  the  point 
in  business." 

"School  is  a  canned  way  of  bringing  a  boy  in  touch  with  life." 

One  boy,  15  years  of  age,  an  orphan,  has  paid  all  his 
expenses  by  newspaper  work.  He  says  that  the  best 
educative  factor  in  his  life  has  been  contact  with  the 
business  men.  Book  learning  has  been  a  great  help  and 
the  sale  of  papers  has  made  such  learning  possible,  but 
the  various  occupations  in  which  his  customers  are  en- 
gaged and  the  type  of  man  who  is  successful  is  furnish- 
ing him  fundamental  knowledge  on  which  to  choose  and 
build  his  own  career.  Several  prominent  men  in  Seattle 
stand  ready  to  give  this  lad  a  business  start  any  time  he 
asks  it. 

Boys  who  have  grown  up  in  the  service  do  not  think 
that  the  time  required  is  an  educational  handicap,  except 
in  the  case  of  high-school  sellers.  Most  of  the  older  boys 
agree  that  anything  which  takes  4  hours  a  day  in  addition 
to  school  work  is  a  hindrance  to  satisfactory  educational 
results.  Newsboy  service  which  did  not  exceed  2  to  3 
hours  was  pronounced  entirely  in  harmony  with  good 
scholastic  standing,  but  if  anything  more  were  attempted, 
there  was  bound  to  be  failure  somewhere. 

A  large  part  of  the  boys  in  both  the  grammar  school  and 
in  the  high  school  are  educationally  ambitious.  272  ele- 
mentary boys  talked  hopefully  and  confidently  of  their 
high-school  course.  121  were  also  planning  for  college  and 
expected  to  pay  their  own  way.  41  were  very  anxious  to 
go  to  high  school,  but  were  not  sure  that  they  would  have 
the  opportunity;  132  were  pretty  sure  that  the  eighth 
grade  would  complete  their  school  life;  and  106  did  not 

[67] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

expect  to  finish  the  grades.  5  of  the  latter  inquired  about 
our  evening  classes  and  asked  our  advice  in  regard  to 
courses  so  "they  would  not  be  left  out  entirely."  16  boys 
did  not  feel  that  the  high-school  commercial  course  was 
desirable  for  boys  and  were  planning  for  practical  work 
in  business  colleges. 

The  educational  ambitions  of  the  high-school  boys  are 
obvious.  I  offer  a  complete  statement  of  the  high-school 
courses  chosen  by  the  239  high-school  newsboys.  Some 
who  take  the  general  course  are  expecting  to  enter  college. 

TABLE  XXVIII.    HIGH-SCHOOL  COURSES.    239  NEWSBOYS  l 


College  Pre- 
paratory 

Com- 
mercial 

General 

Industrial 
Arts 

Total 

Sellers 

31 

13 

9 

8 

61 

Carriers  

80 

29 

41 

28 

178 

Total  

111 

42 

50 

36 

239 

1  All  elementary  Curtis  boys  except  8  expect  to  go  to  high  school. 
All  high-school  boys  expect  to  go  to  college. 


[68] 


CHAPTER  FOUR 

THE  SOCIAL  ASPECT  OF  THE  NEWSBOY  PROBLEM 

\  LTHOUGH  employment  managers  and  educators 
jL~V.  may  not  always  agree  in  their  estimate  as  to  the 
degree  of  accuracy,  reliability,  initiative,  promptness, 
etc.,  possessed  by  the  different  boys,  they  do  fully  agree 
regarding  the  importance  of  each  one  of  these  character- 
istics as  a  factor  in  the  education  of  the  young. 

Where  shall  the  foundation  for  a  successful  life  career 
be  laid?  What  is  the  most  important  agent  in  character 
development? 

Circulation  managers,  district  agents,  and  whole- 
salers are  unanimous  in  declaring  that  the  strongest 
influence  in  a  boy's  life  is  home  influence;  that  the  quali- 
ties which  make  for  success  or  failure  are  those  which  are 
early  acquired  in  the  home.  One  agent  expressed  it, 
"Mothers  make  a  boy's  route;"  another,  "The  hardest 
boy  to  handle  is  the  boy  whose  mother  thinks  he  is  per- 
fect and  who  is  willing  to  cover  up  his  shortcomings  by 
deceit;"  still  another,  "I  pick  my  boys  carefully  for  the 
qualities  that  make  for  success  —  the  greatest  of  these  is 
a  good  home,"  and  again,  "The  weak  points  lie  in  the 
parents  rather  than  in  the  boys." 

Environment  and  choice  of  companions  rank  second,  in 
their  estimation,  among  the  influences  which  tend  to 
develop  success  or  failure  qualities. 

The  social  aspect  of  the  newsboy  problem  centers 
around  the  home  and  the  companion.  Who  are  our  school 
newsboys  in  their  homes?  What  is  the  social  and  economic 
status  of  newsboy  families  in  general?  What  is  it  in 
comparison  with  other  family  groups?  What  is  the  inter- 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

action  between  this  home  influence  and  other  social 
features  of  the  newsboy  problem  and  the  occupational 
influence  of  newsboy  service? 

Five  topics  seem  to  be  especially  pertinent  to  this 
phase  of  the  subject:1  Nationality  of  School  Newsboys; 
Home  Conditions;  Parental  Condition;  Occupation  of 
Father;  and  Social  Relations  outside  of  the  Home. 

I.    NATIONALITY 

Table  XXIX  gives  the  nativity  and  nationality  of  school 
newsboys.  It  tells  us  that  429,  or  48.8  per  cent.,  of  the 
parents  of  daily  elementary  boys  and  15.5  per  cent,  of  the 
boys  themselves  are  foreign  born;  that  96,  or  40.1  per 
cent,  of  the  parents  of  daily  high-school  newsboys  and  5.8 
per  cent,  of  the  boys  themselves  are  foreign  born.2  It 
also  tells  us  that  in  nationality  of  elementary  sellers  the 
North  European  countries  exceed  in  numbers  those  of 
Southern  Europe;  in  nativity  the  South  European  and  the 
Slav  exceed  the  North  European.  It  is  obvious  that  the 
Turkish  Jew  is  a  "seller."  The  Russian  and  the  Polish 
Jew  come  second  and  the  Italian  third. 

These  facts  in  themselves  neither  affirm  nor  deny  the 
universally  accepted  statements  relative  to  national  tend- 
encies among  newspaper  sellers.  Had  we  nativity  and 
nationality  statistics  for  our  total  school  population,  we 
should  be  enabled  to  decide  much  more  definitely  how 
far  the  percentage  of  South  European  sentering  newsboy 

1  As  has  been  said  before,  it  is  impossible  to  make  any  logical  divi- 
sion between  the  various  aspects  of  this  problem.    The  social  and  eco- 
nomic features  of  home  life  are  closely  allied,  as  are  also  the  social  and 
the  avocational  interest  of  boys. 

2  Curtis  boys  are  tabulated  for  nativity  and  nationality,  but  are  not 
included  in  the  percentages,  as  Curtis  service  does  not  appeal  to  foreign- 
born  boys. 

[70] 


SOCIAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


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[71 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


service  exceeded  the  percentage  from  Northern  Europe 
in  the  same  service.1  That  there  is  some  difference  in 
national  tendencies  in  the  selection  of  schoolboy  employ- 
ment is  easily  verified  by  comparison  of  nativity  statistics 
secured  in  our  general  employment  census  with  our  nativ- 
ity census  for  newsboys. 

From  Appendix  VII,  which  gives  the  nativity  and 
nationality  of  wage  earners  other  than  newsboys,  we  offer 
the  following  comparative  statistics  as  to  number  of 
foreign-born  pupils  engaged  in  other  employments  com- 
pared with  those  engaged  in  newsboy  service: 

TABLE  XXIX  a.    NATIVITY  AND  NATIONALITY  OF  ALL  WAGE  EARNERS. 
1118  DAILY  NEWSBOYS.2    964  GENERAL  WORKERS 


To- 
tals 

Foreign  Born 

American  Born 

Parents 

Pupils 

Parents 

Pupils 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

Elementary 
daily  newsboys 
Elementary  gen- 
eral workers.  .  . 
High-school 
daily  newsboys 
High-school  gen- 
eral workers  .  .  . 

879 
520 
239 
444 

429 
216 
96 
151 

48.8 
41.5 
40.1 
34 

136 
68 
14 
44 

15.5 
13 
5.8 
9.9 

450 
304 
143 
293 

51.2 
58.4 
59.8 
66 

743 
452 

225 
400 

84.5 
86.9 
94.1 
90.9 

Totals  

2082 

892 

42.7 

262 

12.5 

1190 

57.1 

1820 

87.4 

1  We  have  no  very  good  comparative  material  on  the  nativity  and 
nationality  of  newsboys.  Moreover,  had  we  such,  local  conditions  vary 
to  such  an  extent  that  it  would  be  of  little  use  except  for  noting  local 
variations.  In  the  Kansas  City  study  "Jewish"  is  assumed  to  be  a  na- 
tionality and  we  are  told  that  49  per  cent,  of  the  school  newsboys  are 
Jewish,  33  per  cent.  Italians,  and  the  rest  of  English,  Irish,  and 
German  extraction.  The  term  "Jewish"  as  applied  to  nationality  would 
be  of  doubtful  value  in  our  study.  2  Curtis  boys  not  included. 

[72] 


SOCIAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

The  difference  in  total  number  of  elementary  boys  found 
in  each  group  is  readily  explained  by  the  fact  that  very 
young  boys  are  not  in  demand  in  general  employment. 
Nor  are  they  in  demand  in  newsboy  service;  they  are  self- 
employing,  an  impossible  condition  in  most  occupations. 

In  the  high  school,  numbers  are  reversed  in  favor  of 
general  employments  —  explained,  of  course,  by  the  fact 
that  there  are  more,  and  equally  good,  avenues  for  wage 
earning  open  to  the  older  and  the  better-educated  boy. 

There  is  a  slightly  larger  percentage  of  both  foreign- 
born  parents  and  foreign-born  pupils  in  the  newsboy 
group,  except  for  high-school  pupils,  where  we  find  9.9 
per  cent,  of  the  boys  in  general  employments  foreign  born 
versus  5.8  per  cent,  of  foreign-born  newsboys.  Careful 
comparison  of  statistics  would  seem  to  warrant  the  con- 
clusion that  this  variation  is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  type  of  newsboy  who  becomes  a  high-school  carrier 
is  not  often  foreign  born,  and  almost  never  of  South 
European  birth.  Our  tabulated  nativity  and  nationality 
of  newsboys  indicates  that  the  foreign  element  which  sells 
from  the  elementary  school  is  composed  largely  of  two 
classes  —  those  who  drop  out  of  school  before  the  high- 
school  period,  and  those  who,  at  high-school  age,  desire 
to  enter  other  occupations  as  well  as  remain  in  newsboy 
service.  As  illustrations  we  have  the  Turkish  Jew  and  the 
Italian  in  one  class,  and  the  Russian  Jew  in  the  other  class. 

The  Turkish  Jew,  who  is  par  excellence  a  seller  in  the 
elementary  school,1  does  not  appear  as  either  seller  or 

1  Total  number  of  elementary  sellers,  362;  of  Turkish  boys,  29.  5  of 
the  49  most  successful  sellers  are  Turks.  Wholesalers  agree  that  the 
Turkish  boy  "goes  all  around  the  American  boy  as  a  seller."  Illustra- 
tions of  Turkish  newsboys  are  given  in  Appendix  VIII.  Almost  invari- 
ably they  own  their  corners. 

[78] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

carrier  in  our  high-school  tabulation,  nor  does  he  seem  to 
have  found  any  other  wage-earning  avenues  during  his 
elementary  course.  Both  Turkish  boys  enumerated  under 
general  employment  are  working  at  public  markets.  The 
Italian-born  boy  appears  in  both  elementary  groups  and 
then,  as  the  Turk,  disappears  from  both  high-school  groups. 
Prima  facie  evidence  would  favor  the  inference  that  the 
Italian  ability  to  find  a  number  of  wage-earning  avenues 
was  decidedly  superior  to  that  of  the  Turk.  This  inference 
is  less  valid  when  we  know  that  "general  employments" 
entered  by  the  Italian  mean  caddying  or  other  non- 
educative  employments  almost  exclusively. 

In  comparison  with  the  Turk  and  the  Italian,  the 
Russian  Jew,  always  mentally  alert  and  eager  to  grasp 
both  educational  and  commercial  opportunities,  seems  to 
have  found  a  variety  of  wage-earning  avenues  in  the  ele- 
mentary school  and  to  have  held  his  own  in  the  high 
school  both  as  a  newsboy  and  as  a  general  worker.  Com- 
parison, pupil  by  pupil,  of  the  lines  engaged  in  by  both 
elementary  and  high-school  pupils  proves  that  the  com- 
mercial element  is  almost  invariably  in  control.  He  may 
be  a  news  seller,  a  junk  peddler,  or  a  salesman  in  a  cloth- 
ing house  —  the  sales  element  is  omnipresent  and  there  is 
always  promotion  ahead. 

We  have  no  information  as  to  how  many  non-wage- 
earning  Italian  and  Turkish  boys  there  are  in  our  high 
schools,  but,  considering  that  neither  nationality  appears 
among  our  high-school  wage  earners,  we  are  probably 
justified  in  concluding  that  boys  of  these  nationalities 
who  are  elementary  wage  earners  do  not  ordinarily  attend 
high  school.  Students  of  education  may  well  ask  — 
what  does  become  of  them?  Do  they  reappear  in  our 
evening  schools?  What  is  their  future  vocational  history? 

[74] 


SOCIAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


What  contribution  to  our  social  and  industrial  life  has 
their  public-school  education  and  their  newsboy  service 
fitted  them  to  make? 

Our  recent  Vocational  Guidance  Report,1  which 
included  evening-school  and  naturalization  statistics  for 
1915-16,  reveals  in  a  general  way  what  becomes  both 
educationally  and  vocationally  of  the  elementary  foreign- 
born  boy  who  does  not  reappear  in  the  high  school.  In  a 
total  evening  registration  of  2875  foreign  born,  or  Ameri- 
can born  of  foreign  parents,  we  find  20  Turks,  238  Russians, 
and  134  Italians;  in  our  Federal  list  of  1267  citizenship 
applicants,  we  find  23  Turks,  65  Russians,  and  61  Italians. 
Our  evening-school  records  give  us  little  accurate  infor- 
mation regarding  the  contribution  which  these  student 
workers  are  making  to  American  industrial  life,  but  the 
Federal  reports  indicate  in  a  general  way  the  prospective 
industrial  life  of  the  foreign-born  newsboy  who  fails  to 
complete  the  elementary  course. 

TABLE  XXX.     OCCUPATION  OF  APPLICANTS  FOR  CITIZENSHIP.     1915-16 


Labor 

Trades 

Commerce 

Totals 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

Turks  

16 
19 
44 

69.5 
29.2 
72.1 

4 
26 
8 

17.3 
40 
13.1 

3 
20 
9 

13 
30.7 
14.7 

23 
65 
61 

Russians.  .  . 
Italians  

Totals  

79 

53 

38 

25.5 

32 

21.4 

149 

This  tabulation  proves  nothing  in  itself,  nor  does  it 
prove  anything  taken  in  connection  with  our  juvenile 
statistics,  but  it  does  indicate  certain  national  tendencies 

1  Submitted  to  the  Board  of  Education,  July  1,  1916. 

[75] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

which  are  vitally  important  for  the  educational  and  voca- 
tional guidance  of  our  immigrant  boys.  The  occupations 
of  the  adult  Russian  verify  the  juvenile  tendency  to  find 
a  greater  variety  of  wage-earning  opportunities  than  do 
the  Turks  and  the  Italians.1  The  Turk  and  the  Italian 
furnish  a  high  percentage  of  unskilled  labor  —  the  direc- 
tion in  which  juvenile  Italians  and  Turks  are  undoubtedly 
tending.2 

II.    HOME   CONDITIONS 

More  important  than  nationality,  both  for  the  individ- 
ual and  for  the  community,  is  the  type  of  home  from  which 
our  newsboys  come,  the  social  influence  of  the  home  on 
the  boy,  and  its  interaction  with  the  educational  and 
vocational  aspects  of  his  life. 

We  made  no  effort  to  visit  the  homes  of  all  of  our  news- 
boys. However,  due  to  the  fact  that  it  has  been  our  cus- 
tom to  visit  quite  freely  in  the  homes  of  employed  or  of 
eliminated  pupils,  I  was  familiar  personally  with  the 
home  life  of  311  out  of  the  879  elementary  daily  boys.3 
Our  personal  knowledge  of  home  and  parents  was  com- 
bined with  the  same  class  of  information  secured  from 

1  Were  evening-school  superintendents  to  make  accurate  and  per- 
sistent studies  of  the  national  vocational  tendencies  of  the  attendants, 
we  could  classify  pupils  much  more  intelligently  and  could  select  teachers 
more  discriminatingly. 

2  In  discussing  vocational  opportunities  great  care  should  be  taken 
not  to  create  the  impression  that  unskilled  labor  is  to  be  avoided.    Many 
men  are  better  fitted  for  such  employment  than  for  anything  else,  wages 
are  good,  and  opportunities  usually  abundant.     To  make  one  man 
happy  and  efficient  as  a  laborer  is  just  as  important  as  to  make  another 
happy  and  efficient  as  a  professional  man.    To  teach  him  how  to  use  his 
leisure  so  that  he  may  lead  a  fuller  life  is  one  of  the  privileges  of  the 
evening  schools. 

8  Naturally  our  home  acquaintance  was  among  the  poorer  families. 


SOCIAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

teachers  and  other  social  workers.  It  was  checked  by 
our  pupil  interviews,  in  which  were  revealed  use  of  leisure, 
home  supervision,  respect  for  parental  authority,  stand- 
ards of  thrift,  educational  standards,  character  ideals, 
etc.  141  homes  were  graded  as  affording  noticeably  high- 
class  influence;  35  were  obviously  of  doubtful  influence; 
and  6  were  sheltering  little  boys  who  we  felt  had  already 
earned  the  title  of  "typical  newsboys." 1  A  number  under 
unsatisfactory  home  influence  had  court  records  and  had 
been  in  correctional  institutions.  The  remainder  of  the 
boys  came  from  average  homes;  here  and  there  a  spoiled 
boy,  here  and  there  a  dishonest  boy  or  an  untidy  boy, 
each  reflected  the  home  condition  as  it  was  daily  influenc- 
ing him.  The  majority  compared  favorably  with  any 
group  of  average  homes.  We  found  nothing  to  indicate 
that  the  American  home  is  the  ne  plus  ultra  home  in 
which  to  develop  vocational  efficiency.  Examples  of  the 
best  and  of  the  worst  in  home  life  were  found  equally 
among  the  native  and  among  the  foreign  born.2  The 
money-making  instinct  of  the  Turkish  mother  is  one  of 
the  strongest  vocational  influences  found  in  any  home. 

In  our  efforts  to  discover  legitimate  causes  for  certain 
facts  which  appear  to  prevail  among  a  considerable  number 
of  newsboys,  we  have  made  out,  utilizing  each  time  differ- 
ent basic  elements,  many  tabulations  similar  to  Appendix 
IV. 

The  one  point,  and  practically  the  only  one,  which  we 
feel  warranted  in  offering  is  that  almost  without  excep- 
tion the  home  of  low  intellectual  and  moral  standards 
reflects  its  character  in  the  child.  The  same,  unfortu- 

1  Used  in  the  usual  sense  of  the  term. 

2  Appendices  III,  IV,  V,  and  VIII  give  illustrations  of  both  types  of 
homes. 

[77] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

nately,  cannot  be  said  with  reference  to  the  higher  type 
of  home. 

III.  PARENTAL  CONDITION  AND  OCCUPATION 
OF  FATHERS 

Table  XXXI  shows  the  parental  condition  of  elementary 
newsboys  and  the  occupations  of  fathers.  It  distinguishes 
between  normal  and  abnormal  home  conditions. 

TABLE  XXXI.    PARENTAL  CONDITION  AND  OCCUPATION  OP  PARENTS. 
1093  ELEMENTARY  NEWSBOYS 


Economic  and  Social  Condition 

Elementary  Daily 

Elementary  Curtis 

No. 

% 

No. 

< 
9^ 

Yo 
i.8 

Normal     Total 

699 
240 
225 
35 
113 
86 

207  l 
98 
6 
11 
18 
74 

180 
98 
9    ' 
6 
8 
59 

79 

2 

205 
26 
46 

7 
104 

22 

9 
9 

9 
9 

Laborer 

Skilled  trades 

Independent  business    .  . 

Professional  and  commercial  .  . 
Miscellaneous  

Abnormal  economic  

Father  dead  

Father  ill  

Father  irregularly  employed  .  . 
Father  unemployed  
Mother  employed  

Abnormal  social  

Father  dead  

Mother  dead  

Both  parents  dead 

Parents  not  in  TJ  S 

Parents  separated 

Family  life  has  been  considered  normal,  both  economi- 
cally and  socially,  when  both  parents  were  living,  living 
together,  and  the  father  was  supporting  the  family. 

1  In  27  families  both  parents  were  employed. 
[78] 


SOCIAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

Tested  by  this  standard,  699,  or  79.2  per  cent.,  of  the 
elementary  daily  boys  and  205,  or  95.8  per  cent.,  of  the 
elementary  Curtis  boys  are  living  under  normal  family 
conditions.  207 l  boys  are  living  in  homes  which,  for  one 
reason  or  another,  are  not  supported  by  the  father,  and 
180  boys  are  living  under  abnormal  social  conditions.2 

There  can  be  but  one  legitimate  inference  —  that  the 
percentage  of  homes  in  which  either  parental  condition 
or  occupation  of  parents  is  an  important  factor  in  com- 
pelling newsboy  service  is  small.  It  is  an  interesting 
minority,  however,  and  especially  so  when  the  individual 
history  of  each  home  is  known.  Later  we  shall  see  how 
these  variations  in  normal  social  and  economic  life  are 
influencing  the  boys'  educational  and  vocational  status. 

In  10  homes  no  English  is  spoken;  6  are  Turkish,  and 
4  are  Finnish. 

IV.    SOCIAL  RELATIONS  OUTSIDE  THE  HOME 

Social  relations  outside  the  home  usually  reflect  the 
social  status  within  the  home  and  are  a  decidedly  impor- 
tant influence  in  the  character  development  of  youth. 
Educators,  social  workers,  and  juvenile  officers  are  all 
aware  of  the  strong  hold  which  the  gang  spirit  has  on  boys. 
Its  usual  form  of  expression  is  through  clubs.  The  desire 
of  boys  to  belong  to  clubs,  the  type  of  club  which  appealed 
to  them,  and  the  particular  elements  in  club  life  which  met 
their  approval  or  their  disapproval  seemed  the  best  way 
to  test  the  social  interests  of  newsboys  outside  the  home.3 

1  27  wage-earning  mothers  are  included  in  both  tabulations. 

*  The  home  life  of  Curtis  boys  speaks  for  itself  and  is  indicative  of 
the  type  of  boy  found  in  that  service. 

8  Not  all  boys  were  interviewed  on  this  subject,  as  it  was  included 
after  interviews  had  been  begun. 

[79] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


258  elementary  boys  belonged  to  24  different  clubs. 
The  classification  below  indicates  their  purpose  fairly 
well;  the  numbers  belonging  indicate  in  part  their  relative 
popularity. 

TABLE  XXXII.    ELEMENTARY  NEWSBOYS  BELONGING  TO  CLUBS 


Clubs 

Sellers 

Carriers 

Curtis 

Total 

Y.  M.  C  A. 

42 

16 

15 

73 

Scouts 

34 

1 

32 

67 

Religious  
Athletic 

33 
17 

12 
5 

6 
3 

51 

25 

Musical  

2 

1 

3 

Bird  

4 

2 

6 

Civic  
Others  

7 

15 

8 

3 

15 
18 

Total  

139 

58 

61 

258 

The  main  elements  are  athletics,  religion,  amusement, 
and  training  for  citizenship.  In  the  best  clubs  all  of  these 
elements  are  combined.  In  selecting  clubs  the  athletic 
features  have  first  place,  and  except  for  a  certain  type  of 
foreign-born  boy  who  is  very  loyal  to  his  religious  affilia- 
tions, religion  ranks  last.  It  is  the  athletic  feature  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  which  appeals  to  the  boy,  and  he  takes  the 
religion  as  a  necessity  in  order  to  secure  the  athletics. 

The  Boy  Scouts  outrank  all  other  organizations  in 
popularity,  not  only  with  the  members,  but  with  all  boys. 
I  do  not  recall  a  single  instance  in  which  the  Scout  was 
not  the  admiration  and  envy  of  his  less  fortunate  brother. 
Mrs.  Crickmore  reported  a  similar  experience.  The  influ- 
ence of  the  organization  is  most  desirable  in  every  respect. 
To  be  a  good  Scout  is  an  ambition  worthy  of  fostering. 
"A  Scout  couldn't  do  that,"  or  "That  wouldn't  be  living 
up  to  our  rules,"  were  common  replies  to  certain  questions 

[80] 


SOCIAL  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

as  to  honesty,  profanity,  and  morality.  Many  more  boys 
want  to  be  Scouts,  and  many  more  boys  should  be  Scouts. 
It  appealed  to  us  as  the  strongest  influence  for  good  in  the 
social  life  of  our  schoolboys. 

There  are  a  number  of  excellent  clubs  which  emphasize 
the  importance  of  high  character  standards.  One  of  these, 

the ,  under  the  direction  of  a  man  of  great  power, 

has  a  most  excellent  and  far-reaching  influence.  Next  to 
the  Scouts,  it  seemed  to  us  to  be  the  most  valuable  social 
influence  among  the  newsboys.  Many  boys  in  other 
localities  knew  of  the  organization  and  wished  that  they 
could  belong  to  a  similar  club  under  as  good  a  leader. 

There  was  but  one  group  that  savored  of  the  "gang." 
The members  have  a  record  which  is  most  unen- 
viable, and  it  is  certainly  unfortunate  that  some  better 
social  organization  cannot  supplant  this  evil  influence. 


[81] 


CHAPTER  FIVE 

THE  ECONOMIC  ASPECT  OF  THE  NEWSBOY 
PROBLEM 

THE  economic  aspect  of  newsboy  service,  as  of  all 
other  juvenile  employments,  comprises  two  dis- 
tinct problems:  (1)  Economic  pressure  in  the  home  as  a 
compelling  motive  for  employment,  and  (2)  the  ultimate 
social  economy  to  the  community  of  juvenile  newsboy 
service. 

For  many  years  economic  pressure  in  the  home  was 
quite  generally  accepted  as  the  main  motive  impelling 
newsboy  service.  Much  sympathy  was  volunteered  in 
behalf  of  the  tired  newsboy,  so  early  forced  to  participate 
in  the  struggle  for  existence.  Of  late  years  there  has  been 
a  growing  tendency  to  challenge  the  poverty  motive,  and 
economic  pressure  has  been  relegated  to  a  position  of 
less  prominence. 

Under  this  division  of  our  subject  we  shall  try  to 
analyze  the  economic  features  of  newsboy  service,  in 
order  to  decide  how  far  economic  pressure  in  the  home  is  a 
factor  in  such  service  and  to  what  extent  such  service 
is  consistent  with  the  ultimate  social  economy  of  our 
city. 

I.    ECONOMIC   PRESSURE 

It  is  most  difficult  to  estimate  the  relative  importance 
of  any  factor  in  any  problem  unless  we  have  some  estab- 
lished standard  for  comparison  and  some  method  of  apply- 
ing the  standard  so  that  reasonable  accuracy  in  results  is 
guaranteed.  In  Seattle  Children  in  School  and  in  Industry 
economic  information  was  sought  under  such  conditions 

[82] 


ECONOMIC  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

that  we  were  able  to  utilize  the  federal  economic-pressure 
test  with  a  high  degree  of  accuracy  combined  with  the 
minimum  risk  of  antagonizing  the  homes  which  we  sought 
to  serve.  In  this  study  we  have  had  no  valid  excuse  for 
inquiry  into  the  family  budget  and  it  was  not  of  sufficient 
importance,  in  comparison  with  other  factors,  to  justify 
questions  which  might  forfeit  the  cooperation  of  the  pupil 
and  the  home.  Therefore  we  have  not  attempted  to  test 
economic  conditions  in  the  home  by  definite  standards, 
but  have  relied  upon  attaining  fairly  accurate  conclu- 
sions from  our  knowledge  of  (1)  Parental  Condition,  (2) 
Occupation  of  Parents,  (3)  Size  of  Families,  (4)  Amount 
of  Newsboy  Earnings,  (5)  Use  of  Newsboy  Earnings, 
and  (6)  Newsboys  Who  Are  also  Employed  in  Other 
Occupations. 

We  have  already  seen  that  parental  condition  does  not, 
in  general,  constitute  a  contributing  element  to  the  neces- 
sity for  newsboy  service.  Nor  does  the  occupation  of 
parents. 

A.   Size  of  Families 

Table  XXXIII  indicates  the  number  of  children  in 
the  families  of  elementary  newsboys. 

8.9  per  cent,  of  daily  boys  and  16.3  per  cent,  of 
Curtis  boys  are  only  children;  49  per  cent,  of  daily 
boys  and  66  per  cent,  of  Curtis  boys  come  from 
families  where  there  are  not  more  than  three  children. 
There  is  little  variation  in  the  size  of  families  among 
the  native  and  the  foreign  born.  We  would  hardly 
seem  justified  in  considering  size  of  family  a  positive 
element  in  economic  pressure  for  the  group  as  a  whole, 
nor  are  we  justified  in  including  it  as  one  of  the  general 
motives  for  service. 

[83] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


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[84] 


ECONOMIC  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

B.   Newsboy  Earnings 

The  actual  earnings  of  school-attending  newsboys  is 
another  interesting  feature  which  must  be  taken  into 
account  under  the  economic  aspect. 

The  wage  of  individual  sellers  and  carriers  varies  from 
time  to  time  according  to  sales,  subscription  increase,  and 
collection  success.  Estimated,  or  average,  daily  sales  were 
secured  for  school  days,  Saturdays,  and  Sundays  sepa- 
rately, and  total  monthly  income  was  figured  on  the  basis 
of  28  days  to  the  month.  The  monthly  wage  of  carriers  is 
used  in  all  cases  when  remuneration  is  on  the  salary  basis. 
Tips  and  collection  percentages  are  included,  but  not  prizes. 

Table  XXXIV  shows  the  monthly  earnings  of  daily 
newsboys;  Table  XXXV  the  monthly  earnings  of  Curtis 
boys,  and  Table  XXXVI  the  maximum,  minimum,  and 
average  wage  for  each  group. 

Approximately  60  per  cent,  of  elementary  sellers  and  66 
per  cent,  of  elementary  carriers  earn  one  dollar  or  more 
per  week.  The  average  monthly  earnings  of  elementary 
sellers  is  $8.09,  of  carriers  $6.45.  The  high-school  boy 
earns  more  on  an  average;  the  Curtis  boy  less. 

What  is  the  economic  value  of  this  newsboy  contribu- 
tion to  the  family  budget? 

The  per  capita  cost  of  living  decided  upon  by  the  fed- 
eral government  as  essential  to  cover  the  necessities  of 
family  life  and  permit  children  to  remain  in  school  without 
hardship  was  not  over  $2.00  per  week.1  Our  own  publica- 
tion, based  on  Seattle  conditions  in  1913-14,  utilized  this 
test  for  economic  pressure  and  found  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  families  actually  living  on  a  lower  per  capita.2 

1  Report  on  Condition  of  Women  and  Child  Wage  Earners  in  the  United 
States,  Vol.  VII,  page  29.     This  report  was  made  in  1910  and  hence 
allowance  must  be  made  for  increased  cost  of  living. 

2  Seattle  Children  in  School  and  in  Industry,  page  39. 

[85] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


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[86] 


+  : 


ECONOMIC  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


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[87] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

TABLE  XXXVI.    MAXIMUM,  MINIMUM,  AND  AVERAGE  WAGE 


Elementary 

High  School 

Curtis 

Sellers1 

Carriers 

Sellers 

Carriers 

High 
School 

Grades 

Average  per  month 
Average  per  hour  .  . 
Maximum  wage  per 
month 

$8.09 
.18} 

55 

.20 

$6.45 
.145 

30 
.24 

$15.45 
.245 

100 
1.50 

$17 
.341 

60 
1 

$4.63 
.401 

15 

.88 

$1.86| 
.23 

12.88 
.32 

Minimum  wage  per 
month  

The  average  earnings  of  school  newsboys,  taken  in  con- 
nection with  the  above  facts  regarding  the  per  capita  cost 
of  living,  are  prima  facie  evidence  that  such  earnings  may 
be  a  most  important  item  in  the  family  budget;  i.e., 
if  family  conditions  require,  60  per  cent,  of  the  newsboys 
can  attend  school  and  at  the  same  time  contribute  sub- 
stantially toward  their  own  support. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  the  average  wage 
per  hour  for  elementary  newsboys  is  slightly  above  the 
requirements  of  our  minimum  wage  law.  The  high-school 
wage  per  hour  is  double  the  requirement.2 

1  Less  16  irregulars. 

2  $6  per  week  for  all  boys  under  18  years  of  age.    Payment  for  part 
time  is  12|  cents  per  hour.    In  checking  the  newsboy  wage,  we  find  no 
uniformity  between  the  wage  and  the  time.     The  wage  laws  require 
absolute  uniformity,  irrespective  of  the  difference  in  individual  abilities. 
The  following  are  illustrations  of  the  difference  in  time  consumed  by 
different  boys  in  accomplishing  approximately  the  same  task:    High- 
school  carriers,  212  hours  for  $50,  58  hours  for  $40,  90  hours  for  $24, 
and  86  hours  for  $60;  high-school  sellers,  112  hours  for  $30,  132  hours 
for  $20,  148  hours  for  $22.40,  216  hours  for  $27,  and  138  hours  for  $100. 
(This  boy  has  owned  his  corner  10  years.) 

[88] 


ECONOMIC  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 


C.    Use  of  Newsboy  Earnings 

Thus  far  we  have  only  proved  that  newsboy  earnings 
may  be  an  important  item  in  the  family  budget.  How  far 
are  they  an  important  item,  either  in  whole  or  in  part? 

323  elementary  daily  boys  and  38  elementary  Curtis 
boys  felt  that  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  contribute 
financially  to  the  support  of  the  home.1  Continued  dis- 
cussion, however,  frequently  revealed  that  the  pupil's 
idea  of  necessity  included  the  purchase  of  bicycles,  tools, 
skates,  etc.  Our  own  conclusions,  checked  by  all  informa- 
tion at  our  command,  are  that  the  family  budget  claimed 
all  the  earnings  of  189  daily  elementary  boys  and  12  ele- 
mentary Curtis  boys.  213  more  elementary  daily  boys  and 
19  Curtis  boys  paid  for  their  own  clothing  and  incidental 
expenses;  426  daily  and  107  Curtis  boys  saved  a  definite 
sum,  or  a  definite  percentage  of  their  earnings,  and  also 
contributed  regularly  to  their  own  support;  51  daily  and 
43  Curtis  boys  spent  all  they  earned,  largely  for  their 
own  amusement  and  pleasures. 

D.   Boys  Doing  Other  Work 

Where  economic  pressure  is  a  factor,  it  is  often  a  suffi- 
cient factor  to  cause  boys  to  engage  in  a  second  occu- 
pation. Forty  elementary  daily  boys,  20  elementary 
Curtis  boys,  20  high-school  daily  boys,  and  5  high-school 
Curtis  boys  supplement  their  newsboy  earnings  by  wages 
secured  in  other  lines.  The  60  elementary  boys  are  all 

1  High-school  boys  always  have  a  definite  object  in  view,  and  neces- 
sity of  some  kind  is  always  the  impelling  motive,  even  though  it  be 
only  incidental  expenses  or  spending  money. 

[89] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

included  in  the  number  whom  we  found  contributing  all 
their  income  to  the  home.1 

Charity  aid  of  various  kinds,  including  mothers'  pen- 
sions, may  or  may  not  assist  in  determining  the  neces- 
sity of  juvenile  labor.  Sometimes  the  assistance  of  the 
boy  is  just  enough  to  keep  the  family  above  the  line  of 
necessity  for  public  aid.  5  families  included  in  our  tab- 
ulation are  receiving  mothers*  pensions,  and  12  are  on 
the  lists  of  the  Charity  Organization  Society. 

All  the  evidence  secured  on  the  economic  aspect  of  this 
subject,  both  from  our  own  and  from  other  cities,  would 
tend  to  confirm  the  statement  that  economic  pressure  in 
the  home  is  not  in  the  majority  of  cases  a  motive  for 
newsboy  service.2  Whenever,  however,  it  is  the  motive, 
the  financial  return  on  newsboy  effort  is  sufficient  to  make 
a  decided  contribution  to  the  family  income. 

II.    SOCIAL  ECONOMY  OF  NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

Economic  pressure  in  the  home,  as  relieved  by  newsboy 
service,  has  been  considered  entirely  apart  from  the  ulti- 
mate social  returns  resulting  from  such  service. 

1  The  additional  work  done  by  newsboys  is  interesting  because  of  its 
variety:   12  Curtis  boys  sell  dailies;   15  high-school  boys  carrying  morn- 
ing routes  are  employed,  —  (1)  Janitor  of  school,  $3.50  per  week,  (2) 
Runs  a  jitney  until  2  A.M.,    (3)  Soda  fountain  to  11  P.M.,    (4)  Theater 
usher,  (5)  Public  Library,  etc.    Elementary  boys  do  almost  everything: 
(1)  13  years  old,  works  at  a  theater  evenings;   (2)  9  years  old,  at  a  store 
on  Saturday,  50  cents;    (3)  13  years  old,  drug  delivery,  $3.    Some  of 
these  younger  boys  work  until  9  P.M.,  and  24  were  illegally  employed 
under  our  labor  laws.     The  number  engaged  in  other  work  indicates 
how  necessary  it  is  to  know  all  the  influencing  elements  before  we  praise 
or  blame  any  specific  element. 

2  One  third  of  the  boys  would  seem  to  be  a  liberal  estimate  under 
economic  pressure.    Wholesalers  estimate  that  about  40  per  cent,  of  the 
boys  find  it  necessary. 

[90] 


ECONOMIC  ASPECT  OF  PROBLEM 

This  is  the  second  phase  of  the  economic  aspect  of  news- 
boy service.  No  discussion,  at  this  point,  is  necessary. 
If  in  our  final  conclusions  it  is  proved  that  newsboy  serv- 
ice is  detrimental  to  the  mental,  moral,  or  physical  well- 
being  of  our  future  citizens,  then  it  is  indisputably  most 
unwise  social  economy.  On  the  other  hand,  whatever 
relief  of  economic  pressure  can  be  given  by  the  members 
of  the  home  without  entailing  individual  injury  and  ulti- 
mate social  detriment,  is  wise  social  economy  and  should 
not  only  be  encouraged  but  insisted  upon. 

To  find  out  how  much  work  and  what  kind  of  work  is 
beneficial  to  the  young  is  a  modern  educational  problem. 
To  encourage  home  responsibility  and  thrift  is  one  phase 
of  education,  —  a  most  important  phase  both  for  the 
sake  of  the  individual  pupil  and  for  the  sake  of  the  social 
interests  of  the  community. 


[91] 


CHAPTER  SIX 
THE  PHYSICAL  ASPECT  OF  NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

THE  physical  well-being  of  industrial  workers  has 
long  since  ceased  to  be  regarded  as  a  strictly  per- 
sonal matter.  Legislative  expression  of  society's  interest 
in,  and  responsibility  for,  those  who  contribute  to  her 
industrial  and  commercial  prosperity  is  increasing.  The 
physical  influence  of  any  form  of  occupation  or  recreation 
indulged  in  by  large  numbers  of  boys  under  14  years  of 
age  is  of  more  vital  importance  to  the  future  welfare  of 
the  community  than  is  the  same  influence  with  respect  to 
adult  workers. 

What  are  the  physical  aspects  of  the  newsboy  problem? 
What  do  we  know  about  the  physical  aspect  of  other  juve- 
nile employments?  What  about  the  comparative  harmful- 
ness  and  the  relative  merits  of  each  occupation? 

We  have  made  no  concerted  effort  in  the  United  States 
to  analyze  the  physical  aspects  of  any  juvenile  occupation; 
we  know  little  about  the  types  of  pupils  who  enter  any 
occupation;  and  we  have  no  standards  by  which  to  meas- 
ure the  various  physical  effects.1  Vocational  directors  are 
coming  to  regard  knowledge  of  the  physical  child  and 
knowledge  of  the  physical  demands  of  each  occupation  as 
important  adjuncts  to  vocational  guidance.  Undoubtedly, 
as  time  goes  on,  they  will  make  this  need  felt  in  such  a 
way  that  it  cannot  be  ignored. 

In  lieu  of  conclusions  based  upon  scientific  standards 
of  measurement,  we  are  forced  to  content  ourselves  with 

1  The  foremost  European  countries  are  decidedly  in  advance  in  this 
respect.  Cincinnati  seems  to  be  making  some  promising  experiments, 
and  we  may  secure  definite  results  from  her  investigations. 

[92] 


PHYSICAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

conclusions  based  upon  (1)  the  general  health  estimate  of 
the  teacher,  (2)  the  boys'  own  opinions  as  to  the  phys- 
ical influence  of  the  service,  and  (3)  the  apparent  advan- 
tages and  disadvantages  summarized  from  statistical  facts. 

Under  "health,"  teachers  graded  each  pupil  according 
to  their  general  estimate  of  the  boy's  physical  abilities. 
When  the  cause  of  poor  health  was  known,  it  was  usually 
stated  in  the  record.  Physical  handicaps  such  as  deaf- 
ness, defective  speech,  etc.,  were  also  noted,1  but  no 
detailed  or  professional  study  was  made  of  individual 
physical  qualities  in  such  a  way  that  one  could  judge  of 
the  boy's  physical  adaptation  to  newsboy  service  or  of 
the  physical  influence  of  that  service  on  the  boy. 

Of  the  879  elementary  daily  boys,  39  were  graded  low 
in  health,  131  were  graded  C,  413  B,  and  269  A.  It  is 
useless  to  pass  judgment  on  this  general  estimate  of  the 
health  of  our  school  newsboys,  because  we  have  no  similar 
estimate  for  our  school  pupils  in  general.  The  majority, 
judged  by  the  school  standard,  seem  to  have  fairly  good 
health.2 

Among  elementary  daily  boys,  105  sellers  and  83 
carriers  considered  the  service  beneficial;  20  sellers  and 

1  5  boys  were  handicapped  by  defective  speech,  8  by  deafness,  4  by 
poor  eyesight,  and  14  were  crippled.    65  daily  boys  and  37  Curtis  boys 
had  had  then*  adenoids  and  tonsils  removed. 

2  The  superintendent  of  the  John  Worthy  School  in  Chicago,  in 
1906,  stated  that  newsboys  who  came  to  his  institution  were  on  an 
average  £  below  the  ordinary  standard  of  physical  development  (Spargo, 
Bitter  Cry  of  the  Children,  page  184).    The  above  statement  might  easily 
be  an  isolated  fact  and  at  the  same  time  be  of  no  value  as  indicating  the 
physical  type  employed  as  newsboys  or  the  physical  influence  of  such 
service.    Possibly  the  majority  of  physically  inferior  newsboys  happened 
to  be  sent  to  the  institution.    Probably  there  were  many  elements  aside 
from  newsboy  service  which  were  responsible  for  physical  inferiority. 

[93] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

14  carriers  considered  it  detrimental.  Most  of  the  younger 
boys  had  not  given  any  thought  to  the  ultimate  physi- 
cal influence,  although  the  temporary  discomforts  of  wet 
clothing  and  empty  stomachs  were  frequently  mentioned. 
High-school  boys  of  long  experience  regarded  the  carrier 
service  as  decidedly  advantageous,  as  it  afforded  regular 
physical  exercise  in  the  open  air.  Wet  clothing  was  not 
considered  an  objection,  as  boys  were  constantly  exercis- 
ing, and,  as  one  boy  expressed  it,  "a  high-school  boy 
ought  to  know  enough  to  change  his  clothes  anyway." 
The  physical  danger  of  standing  pn  the  corners  in  damp 
weather  and  the  after  effects  in  the  shape  of  chronic  colds, 
sore  throats,  rheumatism,  etc.,  were  fully  understood. 

Carriers  have  an  advantage  over  sellers  in  regularity  of 
meals  and  in  the  minimum  of  temptation  to  purchase 
improper  food  while  on  duty.  At  the  same  time  we  did 
not  find  irregular  meals  as  common  among  sellers  as  were 
regular  meals  at  unsuitable  hours.  Moreover,  the  nutri- 
tive value  of  the  food  chosen  was  often  open  to  question. 

Most  boys  get  their  dinner  after  they  go  home,  which 
would  be  about  seven  o'clock;  a  few  carry  lunches  from 
home  and  others  eat  at  lunch  counters.  Fruit  or  other 
eatables  are  often  obtained  in  exchange  for  papers.  There 
was  a  type  of  boy  who,  a  few  months  ago,  used  to  get 
his  dinners  gratis  from  drunks.  Such  meals  are  said  to 
have  been  excellent,  and  one  little  fellow  regretted  exceed- 
ingly that  his  opportunity  for  such  treats  was  permanently 
lost.  A  few  early  morning  newsboys  eat  nothing  until 
eight  o'clock,  after  several  hours  of  outdoor  exercise. 
One  corner  boy  takes  his  breakfast  with  him,  and  a  sec- 
ond boy  goes  home  long  enough  to  eat. 

13  high-school  sellers  do  not  complete  their  sales  until 
between  11  P.M.  and  2.15  A.M.  If  the  last  car  has  gone, 

[94] 


PHYSICAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

they  walk  home.  This  is  undesirable,  of  course,  but  is  not 
nearly  as  undesirable  as  was  the  former  custom  of  sleep- 
ing on  newspapers  or  taking  rooms  at  cheap  lodging  houses. 
I  say  "former  custom,"  because  conditions  have  improved 
so  greatly  in  this  respect  that  the  term  " custom'*  is  no 
longer  applicable.  .  The  fact  remains,  however,  that  there 
still  are  more  boys  than  we  wish  who  do  stay  at  the  ten- 
cent  lodging  house  and  who  are  bound  thereby  to  become 
more  or  less  familiar  with  the  standards  of  living  which 
always  accompany  this  type  of  lodging.  Very  few  of  these 
boys  are  in  the  high  school. 

We  had  many  interesting  interviews  in  which  personal 
physical  advantages  and  disadvantages  were  brought  out. 
These  served  to  emphasize  anew  the  importance  of  know- 
ing all  the  elements  accompanying  any  definite  results 
before  deciding  upon  the  relative  importance  of  any. 
One  boy  felt  that  he  had  been  helped  to  overcome  stutter- 
ing by  the  constant  calling  of  papers  in  the  open  air.  A 
second  boy  was  unconsciously  irritating  a  well-developed 
case  of  spinal  trouble  by  carrying  too  heavy  a  bundle. 
This  boy  should  never  have  been  permitted  to  enter  the 
carrier  service,  and  we  at  once  secured  part-time  employ- 
ment for  him  in  another  line.  A  number  of  boys  felt  that 
the  voice  strain  was  detrimental,  "but,"  one  boy  added, 
"I  can  holler  as  loud  as  the  next  kid."  Several  felt  that 
they  were  losing  out  because  of  late  hours  and  lack  of 
sleep.  When  we  came  to  investigate  the  cause  of  late 
hours,  about  half  of  the  cases  were  not  due  to  newsboy 
demands  at  all,  but  were  due  to  other  outside  employ- 
ments or  recreations.  One  boy,  and  there  are  many  others 
of  the  same  type,  sold  from  three  to  six  o'clock,  earned  a 
few  cents,  and  spent  it  all  for  candy.  Another  boy  who 
reached  home  about  midnight  always  found  a  pot  of  black 

[95] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

coffee  on  the  stove.  A  third  made  a  regular  midnight 
meal  of  pie  and  coffee.  It  was  prepared  and  saved  for 
him  by  his  mother  and  was  never  purchased  downtown. 

"Hopping  cars"  is  a  thing  of  the  past  in  Seattle,  but 
there  still  is,  and  doubtless  always  will  be,  more  or  less 
physical  risk  due  to  traffic  conditions  coupled  with  the 
natural  carelessness  of  boys.  Only  5  elementary  Curtis 
and  19  elementary  daily  boys  had  had  street  accidents 
while  engaged  in  newsboy  work.  Nearly  all  were 
connected  with  automobiles  or  street  cars,  but  one 
or  two  dog  bites  and  "a  whack  by  a  drunk"  served 
for  variety. 

The  above  incidents  represent  fairly  well  all  the  dis- 
advantages on  the  physical  side  which  are  usually  attrib- 
uted to  newsboy  service.  Without  doubt,  whenever  and 
wherever  irregular  hours  are  accompanied  by  loss  of  sleep 
and  irregular  meals,  or  whenever  long  and  undesirable 
hours  are  accompanied  by  excessive  fatigue,  physical 
detriment  is  bound  to  result  whether  the  boy  be  in  news 
service  or  in  some  other  employment,  or  whether  he  be 
engaged  purely  in  social  pleasure.  Whenever  the  char- 
acter of  food  is  undesirable  or  food  is  too  hastily  eaten, 
the  foundation  may  be  being  laid  for  various  physical 
ailments.  Exposure  to  inclement  weather  without  proper 
after  care  to  counteract  or  to  minimize  the  physical  risk 
is  always  dangerous.  That  such  cases  do  obtain  individ- 
ually in  Seattle  is  indisputable,  but  we  have  no  evidence 
to  prove  that  these  factors  are  a  necessary  or  a  general 
accompaniment  to  newsboy  service  and  there  is  much 
evidence  to  the  contrary. 

In  1901  the  British  Interdepartmental  Committee 
decided  that  the  physical  effects  of  newsboy  service  were 
not  injurious  if  service  were  not  too  long  or  if  it  were  not 

[96] 


PHYSICAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

rendered  at  undesirable  hours.1  In  1904  this  statement 
was  supported  by  facts  secured  from  a  study  of  600  boys 
of  school  age,  87  of  whom  were  newsboys.  Results  showed 
that  60  per  cent,  of  boys  employed  20  hours  or  less  per 
week  were  fatigued;  70  per  cent,  of  those  who  worked  20 
to  30  hours  and  91  per  cent,  of  those  working  more  than 
30  hours.2  Even  the  lowest  standard  is  excessive,  accord- 
ing to  our  standard,3  and  undoubtedly  our  conclusion 
would  be  radically  different  were  our  newsboys  employed 
for  the  hours  specified.  119  of  our  boys  are  working  at 
undesirable  hours,  and  438  are  working  more  than  two 
hours  per  day. 

The  same  may  be  said  relative  to  the  selection  of  food. 
If  pie  and  coffee  or  candy  were  necessary  or  common 
accompaniments  of  newsboy  service,  we  might  criticize  the 
service.  As  it  is,  they  seem  to  be  special  favorites  among 
a  very  few  boys.  Why  not  educate  the  parents  and  pupils 
to  the  necessity  of  avoiding  excesses  of  all  kinds  rather 
than  blame  the  employment  which  certain  boys  happen 
to  enter? 

1  Report  of  Interdepartmental  Committee  on  Employment  of  School 
Children.    Great  Britain,  1901. 

2  Evidence  submitted  to  the  Departmental  Committee  in  various 
years  gives  considerable  information  on  the  influence  of  employments. 

3  Page  56. 


[97] 


CHAPTER  SEVEN 
THE  MOKAL  ASPECT  OF  NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

THE  moral  influence  of  newsboy  service,  in  the 
broader  meaning  of  the  term,  is  by  far  the  most 
important  phase  of  our  subject.1  In  many  cities  of  the 
country,  and  by  many  students  of  social  life,  the  news- 
boy has  long  been  branded  persona  non  grata  wherever 
good  character  or  high  moral  ideals  are  required. 

What  is  the  truth  regarding  the  moral  influence  of  news- 
boy service? 

We  are  confronted  at  the  outset  with  the  fact  that  moral 
influence  is  usually  intangible  and  may  not  be  revealed 
for  years.  Moreover,  were  it  tangible,  we  have  no  stand- 
ards by  which  to  determine  moral  growth  or  by  which  to 
test  moral  deterioration;  therefore  we  have  become 
accustomed  to  admit,  without  proof,  that  such  deteriora- 
tion invariably  accompanies  newsboy  service.  Probably 
the  strongest  support  for  such  belief  has  been  furnished  by 
reformatory  records,  which  always  include  a  large  number 
of  ex-newsboys.  This  fact  alone  has  often  been  accepted 
as  prima  facie  evidence  that  selling  newspapers  is  a  morally 
dangerous  occupation. 

In  1910  the  National  Child  Labor  Committee  sought 
the  opinions  of  juvenile-court  judges  and  superintendents 
of  boys'  reformatories  as  to  the  character  of  newsboys 
and  the  moral  influence  of  their  work.  Mr.  Clopper  gives 
us  a  summary  of  their  replies  in  the  following  words: 
"...  that  newsboys  are  generally  stupid  and  almost 
always  morally  defiled;  .  .  .  that  the  life  leads  to  gam- 

1  Immorality  in  the  narrower  sense  has  little  immediate  influence. 
We  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  there  is  either  more  or  less  than 
among  any  other  similar  number  of  boys. 

[98] 


MORAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

bling,  dishonesty,  and  spendthrift  habits;  that  it  is  a  dead- 
end occupation  leading  to  nothing;  that  it  abounds  in 
evil  temptations;  that  the  boys  are  comparatively  idle 
and  see  and  hear  the  worst  that  is  to  be  seen  and  heard  on 
the  streets.'* l  Another  writer  tells  us  that  63  per  cent,  of 
the  inmates  of  the  House  of  Refuge  in  New  York  have 
been  street  traders,  and  the  investigator  concludes: 
".  .  .  if  the  majority  of  such  have  begun  their  so-called 
criminal  careers,  which  end  invariably  in  the  state  peni- 
tentiary, why  do  we  permit  children  to  trade  on  our 
streets?"2  Mr.  Scott  Nearing  says:  "Whatever  the 
cause,  the  effect  on  the  newsboy  is  always  the  same.  .  .  . 
The  professional  newsboy  is  the  embryo  criminal."3 

The  federal  inquiry,  of  1911,  into  the  connection  be- 
tween delinquency  and  occupation  or  non-occupation  was 
based  upon  the  juvenile-court  records  of  seven  large  cities. 
It  included  children  16  years  of  age  and  under  and  reported 
"that  58.6  per  cent.,  or  nearly  three  fifths,  of  all  the  work- 
ing delinquents  up  to  12  come  from  among  the  news- 
boys." 4  This  may  be  true  and  still  prove  nothing,  as  it 
is  well  known  that  wage  earners  under  12  are  not  wanted 
in  other  occupations.5  What  we  want  to  know,  and  what 
we  must  know  before  statistics  of  this  class  are  of  any  real 
value,  is:  How  many  wage-earning  boys  are  there?  How 
many  are  newsboys?  How  many  in  each  group  are  delin- 
quent and  how  many  are  non-delinquent?  There  is 

1  Clopper,  Child  Labor  in  City  Streets,  page  131. 

2  Watson,  Elizabeth  C.,  New  York  Newsboys  and  their  Work.     1911. 

3  Nearing,  Scott,    The  Newsboy  at  Night  in  Philadelphia.    Charities 
and  Commons.    February  2,  1906. 

4  Women  and  Child  Wage  Earners,  Vol.  VIII,  page  84. 

6  In  various  places  in  the  above  report  attention  is  called  to  lack  of 
sufficient  data  for  definite  conclusions.  The  report  as  a  whole  indicates 
that  scientific  methods  are  understood  and  have  been  employed. 

[99] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

undoubtedly  some  justice  in  testing  the  influence  of  any 
occupation  by  the  number  of  delinquents  coming  from 
it,  but  it  must  be  by  relative  numbers  and  not  by  numbers 
per  se. 

These  are  the  facts  which  we  had  hoped  to  obtain  for 
Seattle.  We  have  the  total  number  of  wage-earning  school- 
boys and  the  percentage  in  each  occupation,  but  the  King 
County  Juvenile  Court  keeps  no  records  which  indicate 
how  many  delinquents  are  schoolboys,  how  many  are 
wage  earners,  or  what  percentage  of  either  group  are  news- 
boys. We  cannot  decide,  therefore,  the  ratio  between 
delinquent  and  non-delinquent  wage  earners,  nor  can  we 
decide  whether  our  newsboys  are  contributing  more  or 
less  than  their  legitimate  quota  to  such  delinquency. 

If  the  citations  on  page  99  be  a  fair  picture  of  the  news- 
boy in  other  cities,  are  they  also  a  fair  presentation  of  the 
Seattle  newsboy? 

Our  sources  of  information  for  Seattle  conditions  are 
the  records  of  our  Parental  School;  direct  observation  of 
boys  at  work;  personal  interviews  with  boys,  parents,  and 
teachers  regarding  the  influence  of  the  work;  and,  most 
important  of  all,  the  observations  of  ex-newsboys  who 
appreciated  the  educational  importance  of  our  undertak- 
ing and  were  glad  to  assist  us  in  our  efforts. 

I.  PAKENTAL  SCHOOL  RECORDS 

At  date  of  writing  there  are  93  boys  in  OUT  Parental 
School.  53  have  either  sold  or  carried  papers,  30  have  sold 
on  the  downtown  corners,  and  18  were  newsboys  at  the  time 
of  commitment.  A  personal  interview  has  been  held  with 
each  boy.  14  of  the  number  felt  that  newsboy  service  had 
been  a  contributing  element  to  their  delinquency.  In  each 
instance  delinquency  consisted  of  theft  or  running  away. 

[100] 


MORAL-  ASPECT  o     S 

Superintendent  Rand  and  one  of  his  assistants,  who  is 
especially  interested  in  the  newsboy  problem,  conducted 
the  interviews  for  us.  After  careful  questioning,  they 
decided  that  newsboy  service  was  not  responsible,  except 
in  comparatively  few  instances,  for  the  cause  of  commit- 
ment; that  only  7  out  of  14  boys  were  actually  able  to 
prove  connection  between  newsboy  service  and  their 
delinquency.  Length  of  service,  home  influence,  natural 
tendencies,  hours  of  selling,  etc.,  were  taken  into  consid- 
eration in  reaching  these  conclusions.  Statistics  proved 
that  many  boys  had  been  newsboys  too  short  a  period  to 
permit  the  inference  that  newsboy  service  in  itself  was  a 
very  strong  influence  either  for  good  or  for  evil.1 

Superintendent  Rand  does  not  consider  the  newsboy 
population  of  his  institution  mentally,  morally,  or  phys- 
ically inferior  to  the  boys  who  have  never  been  employed, 
or  to  those  who  have  been  employed  in  other  lines. 

II.    PERSONAL  OBSERVATION 

Personal  observation  of  newsboys  at  work  has  been 
continuous  for  the  past  two  years.  Owing  to  the  fact 
that  I  live  at  a  downtown  hotel  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
newsboy  district,  I  have  had  exceptional  opportunity  for 

1  1  week  or  less 2  boys 

1  week  to  1  month 4  boys 

1  month  to  4  months 4  boys 

4  months  to  6  months 10  boys 

6  months  to  9  months 6  boys 

9  months  to  1  year 4  boys 

1  year  to  2  years 9  boys 

2  years  to  3  years 4  boys 

3  years  to  4  years , 4  boys 

4  years  to  5  years 2  boys 

Not  known 4  boys 

[101] 


NEWSBOY  'SERVICE 

such  observation.  In  sections  of  the  city  where  the  pres- 
ence of  a  woman  might  excite  suspicion  I  have  had  the 
assistance  of  men.  The  results  of  this  personal  observa- 
tion are  regarded  as  furnishing  confirmatory  evidence 
rather  than  as  affording  the  basis  for  fact  statement. 
The  corner  on  which  each  newsboy  sold  was  noted  in 
the  record.  In  case  we  desired  to  verify  our  conclusions 
regarding  gambling,  profanity,  etc.,  it  was  an  easy  matter 
to  do  so  by  means  of  personal  observation. 

HI.    PERSONAL  INTERVIEWS 

In  our  personal  interviews  with  boys  we  sought  to  obtain 
their  ideas  and  their  actual  practices  regarding  gambling, 
smoking,  betting,  and  profanity,  and  whether,  on  the 
whole,  they  felt  they  had  been  benefited  or  injured  by 
the  service.1  The  opinions  of  parents  and  of  teachers 
served  as  a  check  on  the  boys'  opinions. 

A.   Gambling* 

There  are  three  elements  in  newspaper  selling  which, 
when  found  in  the  right  combination,  do  indisputably 
tend  to  encourage  gambling  —  extra  time,  loose  money, 
and  a  certain  type  of  association.  The  majority  of  school 
newsboys  lack  two  of  the  most  essential  elements  in  this 
combination  —  extra  time  and  the  association.  It  is 
universally  known  that  newspaper  offices  and  their  con- 
tiguous alleys  and  courts  are  apt  to  shelter  many  older 

1  It  would  be  absurd,  of  course,  to  claim  accuracy  for  our  conclusions. 
They  may  legitimately  be  considered  indicative,  surely  nothing  more. 

2  Betting  was  not  found  to  be  an  item  worth  discussing  with  school 
newsboys.     Our  state  and  city  laws  are   very  strict  regarding  both 
gambling  and  betting. 

[102] 


MORAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

men  whom  we  usually  call  professional  newsboys,  but  whom 
we  might  with  equal  justice  call  professional  thieves  or 
professional  gamblers.  Seattle  has  its  share  of  this  element, 
and  it  furnishes  the  association  which  invites  gambling.1 
Whenever  young  boys  with  both  time  and  money  at  their 
disposal  are  habitually  thrown  in  contact  with  such  char- 
acters, the  results  are  apt  to  prove  disastrous.  This  is 
probably  no  more  true  with  respect  to  gambling  than  with 
respect  to  many  other  forms  of  vice  and  immorality. 
Fortunately  for  our  school  newsboys  they  do  not  have 
much  extra  time  on  their  hands  and  they  do  not  come  in 
contact,  to  any  great  extent,  with  this  undesirable  in- 
fluence. Newsboys  are  obliged  to  be  on  their  corners 
promptly  in  order  to  hold  their  customers  and  dispose  of 
their  papers.  There  is  no  time  to  spare  between  the  hour 
of  school  closing  and  the  time  for  beginning  sales.  More- 
over, boys  purchase  their  papers  from  wholesalers  who 
deliver  them  on  the  corner  and  they  have  no  legitimate 
excuse  for  going  to  newspaper  offices. 

A  second  opportunity  for  gambling,  on  a  smaller  scale 
and  therefore  possibly  offering  a  greater  temptation  to 
the  young,  is  during  the  dull  periods  on  the  corners. 

1  Some  papers  have  more  of  this  element  than  others.  We  have  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  it  is  regarded  as  desirable  by  any. 

All  except  our  "infant"  newsboys  are  perfectly  familiar  with  the 
various  dishonest  and  criminal  practices  of  the  gambling  element. 
Some  boys  have  experienced  paying  tribute  to,  or  having  their  pockets 
picked  by,  this  same  element.  Others  have  found  it  a  school  of  crime 
in  which  they  could  learn  the  art  of  theft  or  purchase  goods  which  they 
knew  to  have  been  acquired  through  the  same  art.  Conditions  in  these 
respects  are  continually  improving,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will 
soon  cease  to  be  facts.  One  very  young  boy,  after  attempting  to  explain 
the  situation,  looked  hopelessly  at  me  and  said:  "I  can't  tell  you  how  bad 
it  is.  I  don't  think  any  one  as  nice  as  you  can  understand." 

[103] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

Flipping  nickels,  matching  pennies,  and  shooting  craps 
are  the  most  familiar  forms.  Many  of  the  younger  boys 
have  tried  it,  most  have  lost,  and  nearly  all  the  older  boys 
admit  that  they  got  their  experience  early  and  sold  their 
dice.  Craps  require  incriminating  paraphernalia  and  have 
declined  in  popularity  as  the  police  have  become  more 
watchful.  Five  or  six  boys  confessed  to  having  dice  in 
their  possession  which  they  hoped  to  be  able  to  sell  soon.1 

The  actual  extent  of  the  practice  is  difficult  to  estimate. 
Most  of  the  older  boys  feel  that  the  change  in  standards 
of  moral  community  life  have  been  quite  marked  during 
recent  years  and  that  the  popularity  and  practice  of 
gambling  is  steadily  declining.  One  type  of  schoolboy 
holds  himself  decidedly  above  either  the  principle  or  the 
practice;  another  type,  although  he  may  try  to  conceal 
it,  leaves  the  impression  that  he  avoids  it  through  fear  of 
loss,  not  because  of  principle.  There  is  always  danger 
that  the  latter  type  may  be  unfortunate  enough  to  yield 
to  temptation,  may  win,  and  thus  form  the  gambling  habit. 

One  boy  suggested,  and  I  followed  his  suggestions,  that 
if  we  wanted  to  see  boys  gamble  we  would  better  watch 
the  boys  who  had  nothing  else  to  do  on  their  way  to  and 
from  school.  He  had  been  accustomed  to  spend  more  or 
less  of  his  play  time  in  the  same  way  until  he  commenced 
to  sell  papers.  Since  he  had  been  earning  his  own  money 
he  had  felt  unwilling  to  risk  the  loss.2  I  am  inclined  to 

1  Older  boys  who  want  to  get  rid  of  dice  often  tempt  the  younger 
boys  in  order  to  make  their  sale.     In  nearly  every  instance  it  was  the 
beginning  seller  who  was  using  dice. 

2  There  have  been  many  instances  in  which  boys  will  use  their  parents' 
money  for  gambling,  moving  pictures,  or  in  some  way,  but  the  moment 
it  is  suggested  that  they  use  their  own  earnings  in  similar  ways  they 
"don't  want  to  waste  it." 

[104] 


MORAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 


believe  that,  were  a  census  of  all  public-school  boys  to 
be  taken,  we  should  find  the  school  newsboy  contributing 
no  more  than  his  legitimate  percentage  to  the  practice. 
This  statement  neither  indorses  nor  condones  gambling; 
it  merely  emphasizes  the  fact  that  before  we  can  deter- 
mine the  evil  influences  due  to  newsboy  service  we  must 
know  to  what  extent  the  same  influences  are  prevalent 
outside  the  service. 

B.   Smoking 

Smoking  offers  an  opportunity  for  discussion  on  both 
the  moral  and  the  physical  side.  All  the  elementary  boys 
expressed  their  opinions  quite  freely  on  the  subject,  with 
the  following  results: 

TABLE  XXXVII.     SMOKING  AMONG  ELEMENTARY  NEWSBOYS.  1093 


Smoke  Now 

Never  Smoked 

Rarely  or  Quit 

Total 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

Sellers  

30 
11 

22 

5.7 
3 
10.2 

338 
220 
192 

65.3 
60.7 
89.7 

149 
131 

28.8 
35.9 

517 

362 
214 

Carriers  
Curtis  
Totals 

63 

5.7 

750 

68.6 

280 

25.5 

1093 

In  so  far  as  we  can  rely  on  these  statistics,1  they  tell 
their  own  story.  The  boys  who  acknowledged  smoking 
at  the  present  time  are  undoubtedly  the  ones  who  are 
perfectly  willing  to  have  it  known.  Those  who  have  quit 
or  who  smoke  occasionally  are  in  many  cases  the  ones  who 

1  Large  numbers  of  boys  were  personally  acquainted  with  us  through 
the  vocational  department  and  were  quite  ready  to  trust  us  with  their 

secrets.     Many  boys  remarked,  "I  would  not  want to  know  this, 

but  I  know  the  boys  can  trust  you." 

[105] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

are  attempting  to  conceal  it  from  parents  or  others. 
Among  those  who  have  never  smoked  were  many  who 
never  intend  to  smoke.  On  the  other  hand,  a  considerable 
number  were  very  careful  to  say  "not  yet,"  and  some  ad- 
mitted that  they  were  only  waiting  for  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunity. The  Boy  Scout  movement  has  had  an  excellent 
influence  in  curtailing  the  formation  of  this  habit. 

Whatever  the  boys'  ideas  as  to  the  moral,  physical, 
and  intellectual  influence  of  the  tobacco  habit,  all  were 
agreed  that  as  a  business  proposition  it  was  bad  policy. 
Smoking  on  duty  means  loss  of  customers,  and  profes- 
sional newsboys  who  own  valuable  corners  will  not  permit 
their  sub-sellers  to  smoke  or  swear  while  in  their  service. 
Many  business  men  in  Seattle  are  refusing  to  employ 
young  tobacco  users.  Their  position  in  this  matter  was 
a  valuable  asset  to  me  in  the  vocational  department. 
Inasmuch  as  the  immediately  tangible  motive  for  absti- 
nence seems  to  be  "business  policy,"  might  it  not  be  well 
for  teachers  to  introduce  this  as  the  functioning  element  in 
their  instruction  regarding  the  use  of  tobacco?  l 

C.   Profanity 

The  following  statistics  indicate  the  use  or  disuse  of 
profanity,  based  on  the  boys'  statements  but  checked  by 
our  other  sources  of  information.  The  veracity  of  a 
number  of  "noes"  was  questioned  by  principals  and 
teachers  whose  opportunities  to  judge  regarding  the  use 
of  profanity  are  very  much  better  than  their  opportunities 

1  The  reader's  attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that  the  Curtis  Publish- 
ing Company  is  refusing  to  accept  cigarette  advertising,  and  that  one 
or  two  business  houses  have  recently  decided  that  clothing  advertise- 
ments shall  not  be  accompanied  by  the  display  of  cigarettes. 

[106] 


MORAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 


to  estimate  the  extent  of  either  smoking  or  gambling.  A 
number  of  the  very  young  boys  were  not  interviewed  on 
this  subject. 

Suggestive  influence  sometimes  has  a  bad  effect,  and 
we  were  very  careful  not  to  imply  that  bad  habits  of 
any  kind  were  expected  in  connection  with  our  school- 
boys. A  few  boys  whom  we  did  interview  had  not  yet 
learned  the  distinction  between  slang  and  profanity;  6 
were  on  the  border  line  where  they  could  not  be  perfectly 
sure. 

TABLE  XXXVIII.    PROFANITY  AMONG  ELEMENTARY  NEWSBOYS.    946 


Not  Used 

Used 

Occasionally 

When  Mad 

Total 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

Sellers  

149 
144 
162 

35.9 
45.4 
75.7 

47 
20 
52 

11.3 
6.3 
24.3 

187 
125 

45. 
39.4 

32 

28 

7.9 
8.8 

415 
317 
214 

Carriers  
Curtis  
Totals... 

455 

48 

119 

12.5 

312 

33 

60 

6.3 

946 

48  per  cent,  of  the  boys  do  not  use  profanity,  12.5 
per  cent,  use  it  habitually,  33  per  cent,  occasionally,  and 
6.3  per  cent,  only  under  great  provocation.  The  relative 
extent  of  the  habit  among  sellers,  carriers,  and  Curtis 
boys  shows  the  same  general  variations  as  did  the  statis- 
tics on  gambling. 

There  were  several  amusing  incidents  in  connection 
with  cases  when  the  investigators  felt  sure  profanity  was 
habitual,  but  the  boys  were  insistent  that  it  was  not.  In 
the  course  of  conversation  one  such  boy  became  very 
emphatic  in  his  indignation  over  "forcing  extras."  At 
just  the  right  point  the  investigator  asked:  "What  can 

you  do  when makes  you  take  them? "  As  quick  as 

[107] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

lightning  we  got  the  boy's  answer  and  at  the  same  time 
confirmation  for  our  suspicion.1 

Many  boys  expressed  the  opinion  that  no  gentleman 
habitually  used  profanity,  but  the  boy  who  did  not  use  it 
under  provocation  was  lacking  in  certain  qualities  which 
were  essential  to  success.  One  boy  never  swore  because 
he  was  never  mad  enough.  He  felt,  however,  that  it  was 
right  and  proper  under  certain  conditions  and  would 
not  hesitate  to  do  it  if  the  demand  arose. 

While  profanity  is  fairly  common  among  newsboys, 
and  while  there  were  undoubtedly  many  boys  who  were 
more  or  less  familiar  with  vulgar  and  obscene  language, 
still  the  same  is  true  of  any  other  group  of  1000  boys,  and 
we  found  nothing  in  our  study  to  prove  that  the  language 
of  newsboys  differed  radically  from  that  of  other  boys. 
Street  selling  offers  a  good  opportunity  to  acquire  an 
undesirable  vocabulary,  but  where  one  boy  had  a  tend- 
ency to  do  so,  and  to  feel  like  a  man  while  so  doing,  a 
second  boy  felt  that  it  was  "not  necessary  to  listen" 
and  that  boys  must  sometime  learn  to  take  the  good  and 
leave  the  bad. 

D.   Drinking2 

Only  4  or  5  boys  admitted  the  use  of  liquor.  The  main 
attraction  of  the  saloon,  however,  was  not  liquor  —  it  was 
the  free  lunch,  the  generous  tip,  gratuitous  or  otherwise, 
the  pleasant  greeting,  and  the  opportunity  to  secure  money 
dishonestly  from  drunks.  "Rolling  drunks"  used  to  be  a 
common  practice  in  Seattle.  I  have  had  one  quite  young 

1  Securing  the  fact  often  depends  entirely  on  the  way  the  question 
is  asked.    Direct  questions  involve  many  chances  of  inaccuracy. 

2  The  state  of  Washington  is  "dry,"  but  as  the  saloons  were  open 
until  January  1,  1916,  we  discussed  the  topic  with  the  boys. 

[108] 


MORAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

boy  under  my  supervision  in  the  vocational  department 
who  was  unfortunate  enough  while  carrying  on  this  prac- 
tice to  kill  his  victim.  Prior  to  the  closing  of  the  saloons 
there  were  a  few  school  newsboys  who  used  newspaper 
selling  as  a  pretense  for  spotting  and  rolling  drunks.  The 
papers  which  they  appeared  to  be  selling  were  sometimes 
several  days  old.  Drunken  men  were  usually  considered 
legitimate  prey  by  the  newsboys.  One  boy  10  years  old 
regretted  the  closing  of  the  saloons,  as  his  free  dinners 
were  dependent  on  his  ability  to  secure  them  from  men 
too  far  gone  to  know  what  price  they  were  paying.  In 
reply  to  our  query  as  to  the  honesty  of  allowing  drunken 
men  to  spend  their  money  without  knowing  how  they 
were  spending  it,  we  were  assured  that  "it  was  perfectly 
right  and  far  better  for  the  drunk  to  buy  him  a  good 
steak  than  to  buy  liquor  for  himself." 

The  association  with  drunken  men  and  the  temptation 
to  engage  in  dishonest  practices  were  decidedly  bad  for 
the  newsboys. 

E.   Begging 

Newsboy  begging  is  not  a  common  occurrence  in  Seattle. 
Even  the  Christmas  stocking  with,  "Ain't  you  going  to 
help  a  little  newsboy?"  is  gradually  disappearing.  Last 
Christmas  we  had  one  little  schoolboy  who  had  never 
been  a  newsboy  bedeck  himself  with  a  small  white  stock- 
ing and  try  to  act  the  part.  His  principal  sent  him  off 
the  streets  and  attempted  to  make  him  understand  the 
significance  of  his  act. 

F.  Dishonesty 

Although  begging  is  not  indulged  in  to  any  extent, 
there  are  other  forms  of  soliciting  public  sympathy  which 

[109] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

result  in  cash  donations  that  are  fully  as  objectionable, 
from  the  moral  point  of  view,  as  begging.  Most  boys  are 
honest,  but  when  such  is  not  the  case  it  is  comparatively 
easy  to  form  the  habit  of  dishonest  dealing. 

Dishonesty  in  dealing  with  customers  comprises  offer- 
ing the  last  paper,  no  change,  short  changing,  no  supper, 
and  various  similar  tricks.  Delivering  to  regular  custom- 
ers the  left-over  "bulldog"  in  place  of  the  regular  Sunday 
edition,  or  selling  it  on  the  corners  for  the  Sunday  edition, 
has  been  reported  by  a  number  of  boys. 

Dishonesty  with  employers  or  fellow  employees  com- 
prises theft  of  papers,1  falsification  of  records  and  receipts, 
the  use  of  fictitious  names  in  order  to  secure  prizes,  etc. 

It  must  not  be  assumed  that  dishonest  practices  are 
confined  to  boys.  Customers  have  certain  habits  which 
are  as  badly  in  need  of  reform  as  are  those  of  the  boys. 
Theft  of  papers  from  corner  stands  or  boxes  is  very 
common  and  involves  no  inconsiderable  loss  to  sellers. 
Women  are  said  to  be  the  worst  offenders.  Carriers  suffer 
the  most  from  subscribers  who  leave  the  district  or  the 
city  without  settling  their  accounts. 

Nearly  all  the  ordinary  newsboy  tricks  are  losing  in 
popularity;  more,  I  fear,  because  perpetration  has  ceased 
to  be  a  success  than  because  of  any  genuine  change  in 
ethical  standards.  The  number  of  city  residents  who  buy 
regularly  on  the  streets  is  constantly  increasing.2  The 

1  Not  always  by  newsboys.  Sunday  papers  are  frequently  stolen 
by  schoolboys  who  are  not  newsboys.  Last  week  a  small  boy  9  years 
old  who  was  not  a  regular  seller  was  found  peddling  papers  which  were 
stolen  from  the  bundles,  although  he  may  not  have  taken  them  personally. 
He  claimed  to  have  purchased  them  from  an  unknown  boy  at  the  rate  of 
7  for  10  cents. 

8  Long  car  rides  are  an  influencing  element. 

[110] 


MORAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

nickel,  willingly  given  for  an  occasional  purchase,  is 
refused  for  a  daily  purchase.  Regular  customers  quickly 
detect  the  "no  change"  or  the  "short  change"  habit  and 
transfer  their  patronage  to  more  honorable  salesmen. 
The  advantage  of  permanent  customers  is  well  known. 
Boys  do  not  hesitate  long  between  the  permanent  cus- 
tomer who  gives  value  received  each  day  for  his  purchase 
and  the  transient  trade  which  may  occasionally  bring 
more  than  the  legitimate  sales  value,  but  which  is  no 
dependence  in  figuring  profit  and  loss. 

Short  changing  ranks  as  an  art  among  newsboys. 
Several  have  assured  us  that  it  takes  lots  of  practice  and 
"just  any  one  can't  put  it  across." 

IV.    BOYS*   ESTIMATE  OF  THE  MORAL  INFLUENCE 

The  same  element  in  the  moral  aspect  of  this  problem 
which  makes  it  difficult  for  us  to  establish  standards  for 
testing  its  influence  also  made  it  difficult  to  secure  any 
definite  expressions  from  the  boys.  Where  gambling, 
smoking,  etc.,  are  concrete,  tangible  facts,  moral  influence 
is  decidedly  abstract  and  most  of  the  younger  boys  had 
very  vague  ideas  as  to  the  real  meaning  of  the  term. 
Only  51  elementary  boys  expressed  any  definite  opinion: 
18  thought  the  influence  was  good,  33  thought  it  bad. 

Most  of  the  older  boys,  and  the  ex-newsboys,  thought 
that  the  sum  total  of  the  influence  was  harmful  and  men- 
tioned, in  so  stating,  the  concrete  elements  of  vulgar  and 
obscene  language,  smoking,  gambling,  and  the  tempta- 
tions to  participate  in  various  forms  of  immorality.  The 
majority,  had  they  any  choice  in  the  matter,  would  not 
allow  younger  brothers  to  sell.  One  boy,  14  years  old, 
assured  us  that  were  he  a  father,  he  would  think  it  over 
pretty  carefully  before  he  would  let  a  little  boy  8  years 

cm] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

old  sell  on  the  public  streets.  Boys  who  felt  that  the 
influence  was  beneficial  supported  their  conclusions  by 
such  arguments  as:  "We  must  learn  to  choose  between 
right  and  wrong  sometime;"  "We  do  not  need  to  listen;" 
"We  do  not  have  to  do  it  because  others  do;"  "There  is 
bad  everywhere;  why  not  meet  and  overcome  it  young?" 
etc. 

Practically  all  the  boys  recognized  that  night  sales 
have  an  undesirable  influence  physically  and  intellec- 
tually as  well  as  morally,  and  they  also  felt  that  the  laws 
which  prohibit  boys  under  12  from  being  on  the  street 
after  night  should  be  strictly  enforced. 

The  frequency  with  which  this  law  is  ignored  can  be  seen 
by  reference  to  Table  XXV,  which  indicates  the  number 
of  very  young  boys  who  are  selling  at  undesirable  hours. 

The  Juvenile  Police  Department  affirms  its  inability  1 
to  look  after  small  sellers  after  night,  and  the  regular 
officers  on  the  beat  pay  no  attention  to  them  unless  they 
violate  the  law  in  some  other  way.  During  our  interviews 
quite  a  number  of  boys  repeated  conversations  with  police 
officers  regarding  their  violation  of  the  law  in  this  respect, 
and  a  number  of  cases  are  included  in  the  appendices 
where  boys  were  warned  against  night  sales.  The  diffi- 
culty is  that  there  is  no  follow-up  system.  One  boy  who 
had  been  told  to  stop  by  the  police  was  told  by  his  father 
to  continue.  The  Juvenile  Court  then  ordered  him  to 
stop.  He  is  still  selling,  and  in  reply  to  my  question, 
"Why  do  you  continue?"  he  said,  "I  should  worry. 
No  one  else  does." 

L ,  14  years  of  age,  was  a  great  friend  of  mine  and  used  to 

call  at  the  vocational  office  every  few  weeks.  Gradually  I  came 
to  know  all  that  he  knew  of  street  life  —  and  it  was  no  small 

1  There  are  but  two  officers. 

[112] 


MORAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

amount.  One  day  I  asked  him  to  tell  me  about  his  newsboy  life. 
He  described  it  in  detail.  His  career  began  seven  years  ago, 
at  seven  years  of  age,  when  he  was  "the  very  best  age  to  work 
the  begging  schemes."  This  stage  was  described  in  the  most 
minute  particulars,  even  as  to  the  method  of  approaching  differ- 
ent types  of  people.  His  Christmas  stocking  read,  "Say,  won't 
you  help  a  kid  to  have  a  Christmas?"  "There  used  to  be  good 
money  in  it,  but  it's  all  over  now." 

He  sold  steadily  until  he  was  10  years  of  age  and  was  then 
sent  to  the  Parental  School  because  of  his  home  life,  which  was 
most  unfortunate.  He  stopped  selling  the  day  he  went  over 
and  began  again  the  day  he  came  back.  His  methods  of  secur- 
ing money  or  meals  from  drunks,  the  various  forms  of  vice 
learned  from  the  older  "bums"  around  newspaper  offices,  their 
levying  of  tribute  on  the  little  foreign  boys,  their  theft  from  the 
pockets  of  the  younger  boys  who  often  slept  on  the  tables  or 
on  the  newspapers  while  waiting  for  the  morning  editions, 
instruction  in  the  art  of  stealing  and  the  sale  of  stolen  goods, 
were  all  made  very  realistic.  Describing  one  of  the  older  men, 
he  said: 

"  G gambles  with  scores  of  'em  halfway  up  the  alley,  back 

of  a  restaurant  —  just  a  hole,  but  they  call  it  a  court.  The 
cops  can't  see  in  and  [with  a  knowing  look]  they  don't  want  to 
see  in,  but  once  in  a  while  they  raid  'em.  Then  they  run.  Gee! 
I  love  to  see  'em  run  —  and  the  cop  runs  too  and  calls  out, 

'I'll  get  you  tomorrow;'  but  he  never  gets  'em.  G never 

loses  at  gambling,  and  he  always  gets  the  pay  because  it's  a  law 
between  'em  and  no  one  would  ever  look  at  'em  again  if  they 
didn't  pay  up." 

In  reply  to  my  question,  "  Who  are  these  bums?  "  he  answered, 
"Just  bums.  They  don't  come  from  nowhere  and  they  ain't 
goin'  nowhere.  They  just  are  there  and  always  been  there. 
They're  a  bad  lot — awfully  bad  lot — they  fight  and  pick 
pockets  and  gamble  and  then  they  do  everything  they  can  to 
make  little  boys  bad." 

This  boy  has  carried  both  accident  and  life  insurance  for  some 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

years.  He  used  to  smoke,  but  since  he  has  been  to  the  Parental 
School  and  "seen  how  it  spoiled  your  insides"  he  has  given  it  up. 
He  does  not  gamble  and  "nobody  cares  to  bet,"  but  he  claims 
familiarity  with  all  lines  of  profanity  and  obscene  language,  both 
of  which  he  uses,  "not  in  your  office  of  course,  but  in  the  places 
where  it  belongs."  He  eats  anything,  anywhere,  at  any  time 
when  it  is  handy,  and  has  slept  in  the  cheap  lodging  house  many 
times.  He  considers  himself  "a  better  scholar  than  the  average 
news  kid." 

This  is  one  of  the  brightest  boys  that  has  ever  been  in  our 
office.  All  unconsciously  he  made  many  sage  remarks  of  peda- 
gogical value  to  the  teaching  corps,  and  it  certainly  was  a  val- 
uable lesson  to  me  to  see  myself  as  an  educator  through  the 
eyes  of  "a  news  kid." 

I  have  given  this  illustration,  not  because  it  is  typical 
of  newsboy  life  in  Seattle,  but  because,  as  an  extreme  case, 
it  offered  a  combination  of  nearly  every  immoral  influence 
charged  against  the  newsboy  service.  I  have  made 
reports  on  a  number  of  correctional  institutions  where  it 
has  been  necessary  to  be  informed  on  all  the  vices  and 
immoralities  of  the  adult  male  criminal.  I  found  some 
newsboys,  very  few  I  am  glad  to  say,  who  were  as  well 
informed  regarding  such  practices  as  was  any  adult  in 
these  penal  institutions.  This  is,  however,  most  unusual, 
and,  while  I  would  not  wish  to  leave  the  impression  that 
none  of  the  grosser  forms  of  immorality  are  understood 
or  practiced  by  our  newsboys,  I  do  feel  perfectly  justified 
in  asserting  that  the  majority  of  our  school  newsboys  hold 
themselves  decidedly  above  even  the  suggestion  of  im- 
morality. Will  we  find  less  among  any  average  group  of 
1387  boys? 

Evil  influences  are  everywhere;  they  can  be  found, 
and  found  easily,  especially  by  those  who  have  a  natural 

[114] 


MORAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

tendency  to  seek  such  influences.  Knowing  that  a  large 
number  of  schoolboys  are  daily  exposed  to  influences 
which  they  themselves  rate  as  dangerous,  and  realizing 
that  all  will  not  be  strong  enough  to  withstand  temptation, 
can  we  not,  as  teachers,  make  more  of  an  effort  to  develop 
that  type  of  individual  character  which  will  be  its  own 
best  fortification  against  such  influences? 


[115] 


CHAPTER  EIGHT 

THE  VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

WHAT  is  the  vocational  return  on  newsboy  service? 
Or,  in  other  words,  does  newsboy  service  foster 
business  habits  which  are  of  educational  value?  Does 
vocational  information  secured  in  the  performance  of 
newsboy  duties  contribute  to  vocational  education,  and 
what  is  the  value  of  such  contribution? 

Many  negative  replies  to  these  queries  are  already  in 
print.1  To  my  knowledge,  none  has  offered  any  analyza- 
tion  of  the  character  of  the  vocational  demands  of  news- 
boy service,  and  none  has  attempted  to  describe  the  class 
of  business  knowledge,  or  the  type  of  business  processes, 
with  which  newsboys  must  become  familiar.2 

1  "One  great  evil  which  results  from  this  life  of  street  trading  in 
childhood  is  the  fact  that  it  is  fatal  to  industrial  efficiency  in  after  life." 
Margaret  Alden,  Child  Life  and  Labour,  1908,  page  118. 

"That  it  is  a  dead-end  occupation  leading  to  nothing."  Quoted 
also  on  page  99. 

"  .  .  .  the  great  difficulty  is  that  street  trading  leads  nowhere.  It  is 
a  blind  alley  that  sooner  or  later  leaves  its  followers  helpless  against  the 
solid  wall  of  skilled  labor's  competition.  An  occupation  that  fits  a  boy 
for  nothing  and  is  devoid  of  prospects,  is  a  curse  rather  than  a  blessing  in 
this  day  of  specialization."  Clopper,  Child  Labor  in  City  Streets,  1912, 
page  73. 

The  Newsboy  of  St.  Louis,  page  6,  also  mentions  the  fact  that  school- 
boy "experience  in  the  blind-alley  job  of  selling  papers  has  unfitted  them 
for  the  discipline  of  a  regular  occupation." 

2  The  Newsboys  of  Milwaukee,  1911,  Alexander  Fleisher,  is  the  most 
scholarly  publication  on  this  subject  with  which  I  am  familiar.     Mr. 
Fleisher,  in  his  conclusion,  says:  "There  are  no  data  regarding  the  effects 
that  newspaper  selling  has  actually  produced  in  the  lives  of  men  who 
have  been  newsboys.    One  can  only  surmise  the  probable  effects.  .  .  . 
They  have  learned  the  handling  but  hardly  the  value  of  money.    They  are 
certainly  better  versed  in  the  rules  of  business  than  the  boys  who  enter 

[116] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

Unfortunately,  we  of  the  United  States  are  a  very 
gullible  and  a  very  unscientific  people  when  it  comes  to 
distinguishing  between  mere  statements  and  affirmations 
based  on  verified  facts.  Many  social  problems  do  not,  as 
yet,  permit  definite  affirmations,  but  we  can  at  least 
require  our  students  to  analyze  their  problems  in  such 
a  way  that  we  may  know  upon  what  basis  affirmations 
are  made,  where  we  are  offered  probability,  and  where 
possibility. 

We  shall  discuss  this  phase  of  our  problem  under  two 
subdivisions:  (1)  The  influence  of  newsboy  service  on 
the  character  qualities  cited  in  Chapter  Three  as  an  essen- 
tial part  of  the  education  of  the  young;  (2)  The  general 
business  knowledge,  and  the  general  business  principles, 
acquired  in  newsboy  service. 

I.    CHARACTER   DEVELOPMENT   IN   ITS  RELATION 
TO   NEWSBOY   SERVICE 

Perseverance,  accuracy,  promptness,  reliability,  cour- 
tesy, and  honesty  are  all  desirable  business  assets.  We 
have  already  seen  to  what  extent,  as  estimated  by  their 
teachers,  newsboys  possess  certain  of  these  character 

with  them  into  the  legitimate  business  world.  They  can  read  faces  and 
know  many  tricks  of  selling,  learned  through  intense  competition.  .  .  . 
However,  there  are  certain  advantages  to  be  gained  from  newspaper 
selling:  the  boy  learns  to  handle  money;  he  receives  training  in  business; 
he  is  taught  that  the  person  who  gives  the  best  service — quickest  and 
most  regular  —  will  win  out  in  intense  competition;  he  is  trained  to  be 
wide  awake  and  to  attend  to  business.  But  though  the  harmful  influ- 
ences have  not  yet  produced  very  deplorable  effects,  those  influences  are 
at  work;  and  as  the  city  grows  they  are  likely,  unless  arrested,  to  result 
in  worse  conditions.  As  for  the  advantages  gotten  from  newspaper  sell- 
ing, they  are  insignificant  when  weighed  with  the  injuries  inflicted  upon 
the  boy." 

[117] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

qualities.  Our  vocational-guidance  experience  has  shown 
us  that  there  is  often  considerable  difference  of  opinion 
between  teachers  and  employers  as  to  the  degree  in  which 
these  qualities  are  possessed.  We  have  also  "found  that 
if  certain  of  these  qualities,  such  as  courtesy,  promptness, 
accuracy,  and  reliability,  be  not  present  at  least  in  a 
moderate  degree,  newsboys  cannot  retain  their  positions. 
These  same  facts  will  receive  additional  emphasis  in  this 
section  and  hence  further  details  are  unnecessary. 

A.  Perseverance 

Teachers'  estimates  are  based  upon  abstract  knowl- 
edge; employers'  upon  concrete  information.  Let 
us  now  examine  the  quality  of  perseverance  in  the 
concrete  and  see  what  evidence  we  find  to  indicate 
that  newsboy  service  is,  or  is  not,  assisting  in  its 
development.1 

Table  XXII  tells  us  that  slightly  over  50  per  cent,  of 
the  879  elementary  daily  boys  have  retained  their  news- 
paper work  upwards  of  one  year,  19.1  per  cent,  between 
one  and  two  years,  13.5  per  cent,  between  two  and  three 
years,  15.7  per  cent,  from  three  to  five  years,  and  5.25 
per  cent,  over  five  years.  The  other  50  per  cent,  have 
entered  the  service  during  the  year  and  are  retaining  their 

1  The  qualities  included  in  this  study  are  selected  from  the  list  which 
is  used  in  our  vocational  department.  Perseverance  is  a  separate  topic 
in  the  complete  list  but  has  been  considered  as  an  accompaniment  of 
ambition  for  the  newsboy  study.  I  have  selected  it  for  this  especial  phase 
of  the  study  because  the  question  of  "sticking"  is  more  completely  under 
the  control  of  the  boys  themselves  than  are  accuracy,  promptness,  etc. 
The  boy  who  is  not  prompt  and  accurate  in  news  service  will  be  dis- 
charged. He  may  be  entirely  satisfactory  to  his  employer  and  be  lack- 
ing in  the  perseverance  necessary  to  force  him  to  stick  to  his  job. 

[118] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

positions  at  the  date  of  interview.1  The  maximum  length 
of  service  for  both  elementary  sellers  and  carriers  is  9 
years,  for  high-school  sellers  10  years,  and  for  high-school 
carriers  14  years.  The  average  length  of  seller  service 
is  3.58  years;  of  carrier  service  3.5  years  for  high-school 
boys  and  2.22  years  for  the  younger  boys.  These  statis- 
tics include  full  newsboy  service,  as  it  was  impossible  to 
secure  accurate  data  regarding  the  change  from  sales  to 
carrier  service.  65  out  of  178  high-school  carriers  had 
been  sellers  before  they  obtained  routes;  hence  the  term 
seller  or  carrier  merely  indicates  in  which  branch  of  the 
service  they  are  employed  at  the  present  time. 

In  reply  to  our  question,  "Are  you  satisfied  with  your 
work?"  728,  or  82.8  per  cent.,  of  the  elementary  daily 
boys  and  53.7  per  cent,  of  the  Curtis  boys  said,  "Yes." 
High-school  daily  2  boys  were  uniformly  satisfied,  many 
remarking  that  they  did  not  see  how  they  could  get 
along  without  the  work.  90  per  cent,  of  all  daily  boys 
hoped  to  retain  their  positions  indefinitely.3  When  boys 
were  not  satisfied  they  had  well-defined,  carefully  con- 
sidered reasons.  One  group  centered  around  the  boys 
themselves  —  lack  of  time  or  lack  of  interest  in  the  work. 
A  second  group  centered  around  the  customer  —  too 
many  were  careless  about  payment  and  caused  financial 
loss.  A  third  group  was  concerned  with  certain  business 
practices  of  the  newspapers  which  seemed  unfair  to  the 

1  A  very  small  number  of  daily  boys  either  left  or  entered  the  service 
during  the  period  of  our  interviews.  This  is  not  true  of  Curtis  boys.  It 
has  already  been  stated  that  3  boys  enter  and  3  leave  the  service  each 
week.  About  one  in  six  remains  in  the  service  over  4  weeks. 

8  Curtis  boys  again  present  a  very  different  problem  and  cannot  be 
considered  in  the  same  class  as  the  daily  boys. 

8  70  out  of  the  80  boys  interviewed  in  Milwaukee  liked  the  work. 
Newsboys  of  Milwaukee,  page  77. 

[119] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

boys  —  forcing  extras,  refusing  returns,  and  retaining 
middlemen,  who  were  unanimously  objected  to  by  the 
boys.1  In  the  three  latter  complaints  boys  realized  fully 
that  as  a  business  proposition  the  "papers  were  often  up 
against  it."  It  was  frequently  necessary  to  "force" 
papers  and  to  refuse  returns  in  order  to  make  boys  realize 
their  responsibility  in  maintaining  and  in  increasing  cir- 
culation; at  the  same  time  it  was  hard  on  boys  who  were 
already  doing  their  best. 

In  1913-14,  in  Seattle  Children  in  School  and  in  Industry, 
we  studied  intensively  195  boys  who  had  been  out  of 
school  less  than  one  year  and  223  boys  who  had  been  out 
of  school  from  one  to  five  years.  90  boys  in  the  first 
group  had  already  changed  positions,  and  only  39  of  the 
second  group  were  in  the  original  line  of  work.2  In  this 
study  we  found  50  per  cent,  of  dissatisfaction  with  both 
school  life  and  vocational  life,  and  no  very  satisfactory  or 
carefully  thought-out  reasons  were  offered  for  either  line 
of  dissatisfaction.3 

Here  are  two  very  interesting  groups  of  statistics. 
Why  is  the  length  of  service  of  newsboys  so  much  longer 
than  length  of  service  in  other  employments?  Why  is 
the  percentage  of  satisfaction  so  much  higher? 

Could  these  questions  be  answered,  we  should  render  a 
vital  assistance  to  all  parties  concerned.  We  cannot 
answer  them,  however,  unless  we  follow  our  school  news- 
boys into  other  more  permanent  lines  and  see  whether 
they  are  more  or  less  inclined  to  drift  than  are  boys  who 

1  There  is  but  one  such  case  in  Seattle. 

2  The  fact  that  this  was  delivery  or  messenger  service  is  peculiarly 
interesting  in  view  of  the  legitimacy  of  considering  that  also  a  street 
trade.    Why  do  boys  stick  longer  in  street  trades? 

3  Seattle  Children  in  School  and  in  Industry,  pages  22,  43  f. 

[120] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

have  not  had  the  newsboy  experience.  Otherwise  our 
statistics  may  be  interpreted  to  mean  that  newsboys  re- 
tain their  positions  because  there  are  practically  no  other 
wage-earning  opportunities  which  adjust  so  easily  to 
school  demands  and  at  the  same  time  offer  equally  good 
financial  returns.  What  we  really  seek  to  know  is  —  does 
the  fact  that  young  boys  stick  to  newsboy  service  longer 
than  to  other  wage-earning  occupations  tend  to  foster 
habits  of  perseverance,  or  is  their  perseverance  merely 
accidental  without  permanently  beneficial  results? 

B.    Thrift 

A  second  character  quality,  essential  as  a  fundamental 
factor  in  education  and  also  essential  to  success  in  later 
business  life,  although  it  is  not  often  required  by  employers 
except  in  so  far  as  its  lack  reacts  unfavorably  on  business 
efficiency,  is  THRIFT.  Newsboys  may  be  entirely  satis- 
factory to  circulation  managers,  but  they  may  or  may  not 
be  utilizing  their  vocational  experience  for  the  cultivation 
of  this  most  desirable  quality. 

We  have  seen  that  approximately  one  third  of  the 
elementary  newsboys  contribute  their  earnings  to  the 
support  of  the  home;  that  a  comparatively  small  number 
use  their  earnings  entirely  for  personal  pleasure  without 
assuming  any  home  responsibility  and  without  deriving 
any  apparent  educational  advantage  from  the  financial 
side  of  their  wage-earning  experience.  Our  sympathy 
goes  out  to  the  young  wage  earner  who  is  obliged  to 
assume  a  financial  burden  too  heavy  for  his  years  and 
ability,  who  knows  the  value  of  money  only  in  terms  of 
the  necessities  of  life,  and  who  loses  thereby  many  of 
the  pleasures  which  are  the  birthright  of  childhood.  We 

[121] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

pity  most  sincerely  the  young  boy  who,  in  the  formative 
period  of  youth,  is  permitted  to  shirk  financial  respon- 
sibility of  all  kinds,  who  learns  to  estimate  the  value  of 
money  only  in  terms  of  personal  pleasure,  and  who  misses 
thereby  much  of  the  education  which  is  also  the  birthright 
of  childhood. 

Fortunately,  the  majority  of  our  school  newsboys  do 
not  belong  in  either  group.  Over  50  per  cent,  are  privileged 
to  enjoy  a  well-balanced  combination  of  cultural  and 
practical  returns  on  their  wage-earning  efforts.  Knowl- 
edge of  the  value  of  money  for  furnishing  the  necessities  of 
life  is  combined  with  knowledge  of  its  purchasing  power  in 
terms  of  pleasure  and  luxury. 

The  broadening  vision  of  our  civic  community  may,  in 
time  to  come,  find  how  best  to  relieve  the  boy  who  carries 
the  heavy  load  of  economic  pressure.  Certainly,  in  the 
years  to  come,  we  shall  not  excuse  the  parent  and  the  edu- 
cator who  entirely  overlook  thrift  as  an  essential  factor  in 
the  education  of  the  young. 

All  of  our  elementary  newsboys  except  the  94  who  are 
spending  their  entire  earnings  for  personal  pleasure  are 
entitled  to  rank  as  "thrifty"  boys.  We  have  tangible 
evidence  to  prove  this,  both  for  the  group  of  boys  who  are 
helping  to  maintain  the  home  and  for  the  group  who  are 
partially  self-supporting. 

A  third  form  of  expressing  thrift  was  found  in  connec- 
tion with  the  large  number  of  bank  accounts  maintained 
by  newsboys.  Table  XXXIX  shows  the  number  of  boys 
in  all  lines  of  service  who  have  accounts  in  their  own  names. 
It  distinguishes  between  elementary  and  high-school  boys. 
Where  boys  did  not  volunteer  this  information  we  made 
no  effort  to  obtain  it. 

[122] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 
TABLE  XXXIX.     BANK  ACCOUNTS.     1357  NEWSBOYS 


Elementary 

Total  El. 

High  School 

Total  H.  S. 

Gr.  Total 

Sell. 

Carr. 

Cur. 

No. 

% 

Sell. 

Carr. 

Cur. 

No. 

% 

No. 

% 

Yes  
No  
Not  say. 

Totals  . 

201 
301 
15 

179 
155 

28 

141 

73 

521 
529 
43 

47.6 
48.3 
3,8 

M 

26 
10 

93 

85 

16 
9 

134 
120 
10 

50.7 
45.4 
3.7 

655 
649 
53 

48.2 
47.8 
3.9 

517 

362 

214 

1093 

... 

61 

178 

25 

264 

... 

1357 

Approximately  50  per  cent,  of  the  boys  have  bank 
accounts.  This  is  fairly  good  corroborative  evidence  of 
the  accuracy  of  our  conclusions  on  page  89,  that  about 
50  per  cent,  were  either  contributing  too  generously  to 
the  home  to  maintain  accounts  or  were  spending  all  their 
earnings  for  pleasure. 

Not  all  boys  told  us  where  deposits  were  made,  but  18 
different  banks  were  mentioned,  with  sums  varying  from 
$6  to  $687.  Most  ran  from  $20  to  $100,  but  several  ex- 
ceeded $500.!  In  selecting  banks,  boys  appear  to  have 
been  largely  influenced  by  three  factors:  (1)  The  advice 
of  friends,  (2)  the  use  of  the  word  "savings"  in  connec- 
tion with  the  name  of  the  bank,  and  (3)  the  rate  of  inter- 
est. Boys  are  very  proud  of  their  bank  books.  Some 
carried  them  in  their  pockets  and  produced  them  the 
moment  the  subject  was  mentioned.  Others  offered  to 

1  High-school  boys,  as  a  ride,  do  not  save  as  much  as  elementary 
boys.  Not  that  they  are  less  thrifty  but  because  their  high-school 
expenses  are  much  heavier  than  are  those  of  the  elementary  boys.  Sev- 
eral boys  have  good  accounts  which  were  made  during  their  elementary- 
school  course  and  are  not  being  encroached  on.  They  earn  sufficient  for 
high-school  expenses  and  are  saving  their  earlier  earnings  for  college 
needs.  We  found  a  number  of  cases  where  boys'  parents  had  clothed 
them  during  their  elementary  work  but  refused  to  do  so  during  their 
high-school  course. 

[123] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

bring  them  the  next  day  so  that  we  might  see  what  they 
looked  like  and  how  the  accounts  were  kept.  There  is 
great  strife  among  the  elementary-school  boys  to  outdo 
one  another  in  increasing  bank  accounts. 

Two  foreign  boys  of  different  nationalities  have  been  strug- 
gling to  outdo  one  another  for  some  time.  Formerly  they  sold 
on  the  same  corner  but  when  competition  became  too  keen  "for 
the  good  of  the  service"  the  sales  manager  transferred  one  to 
another  corner.  Separation  only  increased  the  spirit  of  rivalry. 
The  point  was  reached  where  neither  boy  would  tell  the  other 
the  amount  of  his  savings.  Both  boys  told  us  their  secrets. 
At  the  close  of  the  interview  with  the  second  boy  the  interviewer 
felt  that  a  large  number  of  somewhat  personal  questions  had 
been  asked  and  hence  said  to  the  boy: 

"I've  asked  you  a  good  many  questions,  maybe  there  is 
something  you  would  like  to  ask  me.  Is  there?" 

"You  bet!    How  much  has  R.  in  the  bank?" 

"Would  you  like  me  to  tell  R.  how  much  you  have  in  the 
bank?" 

"No." 

"Then  do  you  think  it  would  be  fair  for  me  to  tell  you  how 
much  he  has  when  I  know  he  does  not  want  you  to  know?" 

"No,  but  I  want  to  know  awfully.'* 

Both  boys  had  close  to  $500. 

Another  interesting  fact  was  noticed  in  connection  with 
bank  accounts.  Many  boys  had  a  regular  system  of 
saving:  either  a  percentage  of  earnings  or  a  definite  sum 
was  regularly  deposited.  Occasionally  earnings  were 
deposited  and  tips  or  commissions  spent.  Whatever  the 
plan,  there  was  a  tendency  to  distinguish  sharply  between 
money  earned  and  money  given.  Tips  were  never  regarded 
as  of  quite  the  same  value  as  were  bona  fide  earnings. 
Several  boys  refused  movies  and  other  attractions  if 

[124] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

they  had  to  spend  ''my  perfectly  good  money"  but  the 
same  boys  willingly  spent  their  parents'  money  for  the 
same  purpose.  This  fact  seemed  suggestive  to  us  in  con- 
nection with  the  development  of  the  thrift  habit. 

Bank  accounts  were  the  commonest  form  of  investment, 
but  not  the  only  form.  16  elementary  boys  were  carry- 
ing life  insurance,  and  4  had  real-estate  investments. 

Considerable  has  been  done  to  encourage  newsboys  to 
establish  and  maintain  bank  accounts.  The  Curtis  Pub- 
lishing Company  and  one  of  our  local  newspapers  have 
offered  their  circulators  financial  inducements  to  start 
bank  accounts.  For  the  past  three  years,  also,  one  of  our 
public-spirited  citizens  has  offered  a  three-dollar  bonus 
to  each  news  seller  who  can  show  by  bank  book  a  regular 
monthly  deposit  of  25  cents  or  more  for  a  period  of  one  year. 
About  40  boys  took  advantage  of  this  offer  last  year. 

II.    BUSINESS  KNOWLEDGE  AND   PRINCIPLES   IN  THEIR 
RELATION   TO  NEWSBOY   SERVICE 

There  are  two  definite  lines  of  vocational  information 
which  should  be  secured  by  newsboys  in  the  regular  per- 
formance of  their  duties:  (1)  Information  regarding  vari- 
ous occupations  engaged  in  by  their  customers  and  the 
type  of  man  who  is  making  a  success  or  a  failure  in  each; 
(2)  the  fundamental  vocational  knowledge  or  principles 
upon  which  all  business  systems  are  built. 

Some  downtown  sellers  do  secure  the  first  type  of  infor- 
mation through  personal  observation.  They  discussed 
it  freely  with  us  and  are  considering  it  carefully  with  refer- 
ence to  their  own  future  careers.  Many  others  would 
know  how  to  observe  the  same  facts  more  intelligently 
were  a  good  course  in  vocational  information  to  be  incor- 
porated in  our  school  curriculum. 

[125] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

Opportunities  to  secure  the  second  type  of  informa- 
tion are  omnipresent.  Boys  who  sell  papers  are  constantly 
in  contact  with  one  or  more  of  the  fundamental  precepts 
upon  which  all  business  systems  rest.  From  choosing  a 
location  down  to  the  final  estimate  of  profit  and  loss  all 
the  elements  which  make  for  occupational  success  or 
failure  are  involved  in  newsboy  service. 

A.   Selecting  a  Location 

Wisdom  in  selecting  a  location  is  frequently  the  begin- 
ning of  successful  business  enterprises.  Newsboys  may 
not  be  able,  any  more  than  are  other  business  men,  to 
purchase  just  the  corner  upon  which  they  would  prefer 
to  sell,  or  to  obtain  just  the  route  which  they  feel  promises 
best  for  the  future,  but  they  can  and  do  learn  very  quickly 
to  size  up  the  relative  value  of  corners  and  also  to  esti- 
mate the  various  influences  which  control  corner  or  route 
values.  Granted,  however,  that  a  boy  can  purchase 
where  he  sees  fit,  the  risks  involved  are  the  same  as  are 
those  involved  in  any  other  business.  Value  at  the  time 
of  purchase  is  estimated  according  to  the  number  of  sales 
transacted  on  the  corner.  This,  in  turn,  is  dependent 
upon  traffic  conditions,  the  class  of  business  carried  on  in 
adjacent  buildings,  the  permanency  of  tenants  in  these 
buildings,  etc.  Subsequent  to  purchase,  conditions  over 
which  the  boys  have  no  control  may  raise  or  lower  the 
number  of  sales  and  therefore  alter  the  value  of  the  loca- 
tion. As  illustrations,  one  boy's  sales  increased  50  per 
cent.,  due  to  re-routing  one  of  the  street-car  lines,  while  a 
second  boy,  due  to  the  same  fact,  lost  materially.  Another 
boy  told  us  that  his  corner  had  depreciated  25  per  cent., 
due  to  loss  of  tenants  in  what  had  formerly  been  one  of 
the  best  office  buildings. 

[126] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OP  SERVICE 

The  newsboy  takes  the  same  chance  of  gain  and  runs 
the  same  risk  of  loss,  due  to  increase  or  decrease  in  location 
values,  as  does  any  other  business  man. 

News  sellers  may  purchase  x  or  rent  their  location,  or 
they  may  be  employees  of  other  boys.  News  carriers  may 
purchase  routes  or  may  be  assigned  to  them  by  their 
owners. 

B.   Selling  Corners 

"Selling"  or  "owning"  of  street  corners  is  one  of  the 
very  interesting  factors  in  the  business  management  of 
news  circulation.  The  expression  often  puzzles  novitiates 
and  is  rarely  understood  by  those  who  are  uninitiated  in 
the  mysteries  of  newsboy  service.  How  can  street  corners 
be  bought  and  sold? 

Street  corners  are  not  bought  and  sold,  but  there  is  a 
system  by  which  boys  have  a  certain  claim  on  corners 
and  by  which  they  are  protected  in  their  claim.  15 
or  20  years  ago,  when  there  was  comparatively  little 
street  selling,  when  few  corners  were  of  value,  and  when 
the  number  of  newsboys  was  probably  not  more  than 
35,  circulation  managers  and  newsboys  themselves  fore- 
saw trouble  over  contests  to  hold  the  best  sales  locations. 
A  newsboys'  union  was  formed  and  it  was  decided  to 
raffle  off  the  different  corners,  each  boy  thereafter  to 
have  exclusive  sales  right  on  the  corner  thus  secured. 
It  was  also  agreed  that  no  boy  should  sell  on  another  boy's 
territory  except  as  he  bought  a  corresponding  number  of 
papers  from  the  boy  whose  rights  he  had  infringed.2 

1  Corners  not  already  preempted  may  be  obtained  by  "squatters'" 
right. 

2  There  is  no  newsboys'  union  at  present,  but  the  old  by-laws  are 
still  observed.    The  rules  mentioned  above  are  quite  common  in  other 
cities. 

[127] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

Some  of  the  corners  raffled  off  at  that  time  have  become 
very  valuable.  The  highest  purchase  price  known  to  me 
personally  is  $1100  for  one  of  our  best  corners.  This  loca- 
tion nets  a  fine  daily  income  and  is  not  for  sale  at  any 
price. 

Quite  a  number  of  school  newsboys  own  corners. 
Several  gave  us  the  purchase  price  and  the  present  esti- 
mated value.1  Some  had  increased  and  others  had  de- 
creased in  value. 

How  can  boys  defend  their  corners  against  the  en- 
croachments of  other  boys?  They  are  protected  by  the 
newspapers.  Concession  to  sell  each  publication  is 
granted  exclusively  to  the  boy  who  claims  the  corner 
and  who  has  paid  for  the  sales  privilege.  This  system 
is  a  great  protection  to  the  papers  as  well  as  to  the  boys. 
Moreover,  it  may  be,  and  often  is,  very  useful  to  whole- 
salers in  forcing  off  corners  the  boys  who  they  feel  are 
not  using  their  concession  right  for  the  best  interests  of 
the  paper.  This  is  spoken  of  among  boys  as  "taking 
away  their  corners."  Occasionally  the  practice  is  accom- 
panied by  great  injustice. 

C.   Leasing  Corners 

Many  boys  who  own  corners  do  not  care  to  dispose  of 
them  nor  do  they  care  to  maintain  sales  themselves. 
Many  boys  who  desire  to  sell  do  not  wish,  or  cannot 
afford,  to  purchase  corners.  This  leads  to  a  regular 

1  31  boys  paid  from  50  cents  to  $115  for  their  corners.  The  largest 
estimated  value  at  present  is  $400.  One  boy  purchased  a  corner  3  years 
ago  for  $50.  He  hires  all  sales  and  supervises  the  corner  himself,  making 
$1  per  day  above  all  expenses.  He  has  refused  $85  for  the  corner  and  is 
expecting  it  to  increase  still  more  in  value. 

[128] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

rental  system  —  sometimes  on  a  long  lease,  sometimes 
just  for  certain  days  or  for  certain  portions  of  a  day. 
Frequently  the  same  corner  is  rented  by  a  number  of 
different  boys  for  different  hours  of  the  day.  Schoolboys 
cannot  always  sell  every  day  nor  can  they  sell  at  all 
hours  of  the  day.1 

Rental  price  depends  on  the  estimated  value  of  sales 
during  the  period  for  which  the  corner  is  leased.  Usually 
boys  do  very  well  on  rented  territory.  One  boy  who 
rents  two  corners  for  $2  per  day  is  making  good  money. 
He  counts  on  $9  every  Saturday  from  one  of  the  corners 
and  sublets  the  other  for  50  cents  for  Saturday  night.  A 
boy  who  does  not  attend  school  receives  a  commission  to 
look  after  sales  during  the  hours  when  he  is  in  school. 
He  expects  to  continue  the  arrangement  just  as  long  as 
he  can  lease  the  corner.  Another  boy  pays  $7.50  per 
week  corner  rent  and  says  he  can  well  afford  to  do  so,  as 
he  makes  a  good  profit.2 

D.  Employing  Salesmen 

When  boys  act  as  salesmen  for  other  boys,  they  may 
receive  a  regular  salary  or  may  be  employed  on  a  com- 

1  Of  the  517  elementary  sellers,  14  who  own  their  own  corners  sell  at 
all  hours  except  when  school  is  in  session;   98  sell  Sunday  only;  42  sell 
Saturday  only;   11  sell  Saturday  and  Sunday;   32  sell  school  afternoons 
only;   15  sell  school  mornings  only;   207  sell  every  day  but  Sunday;  and 
108  sell  every  weekday  afternoon  and  Sunday  mornings.     The  fact  that 
many  do  not  maintain  Sunday  sales  is  explained  by  the  lighter  Sunday 
sales  downtown.     Carrier  work  almost  doubles  in  many  districts  on 
Sunday  and  extra  help  is  employed  for  delivery. 

2  Occasionally  the  wholesalers  give  a  boy  a  corner  provided  he  is 
willing  "to  work  it  up."    The  afternoon  papers  work  together  in  main- 
taming  corner  standards  and  in  selecting  sellers. 

[129] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

mission  basis.1  Salaries  vary  considerably,  as  do  also 
commissions.  25  per  cent,  of  total  or  50  per  cent,  of  net 
profits  is  very  common.  Occasionally  a  really  energetic 
employee  is  permitted  to  have  whatever  extra  he  may 
make  after  the  rush  hours  —  6  P.M. 


E.   Wholesaling  and  Retailing 

Papers  are  purchased  at  wholesale  either  direct  from 
the  publishing  house  or  through  middlemen.  Deliv- 
eries are  made  on  the  corner  and  the  stock  turnover  is 
immediate;  hence  the  wholesaler  returns  for  cash  pay- 
ment at  the  end  of  the  day. 

Newsboy  purchase  at  wholesale  differs  in  certain  im- 
portant respects  from  the  usual  business  transaction 
involved  in  wholesaling.  (1)  The  wholesaler  rather  than 
the  purchaser  decides  the  amount  of  the  purchase.  When 
there  is  difference  of  opinion  as  to  number,  it  is  always 
more,  rather  than  less,  than  the  purchaser  desires. 
(2)  Purchasers  may  not  choose  between  dealing  directly 
with  the  manufacturer  or  with  middlemen.  If  there  be 
a  middleman  in  the  district,  the  publishing  house  affords 
him  the  same  protection  in  wholesale  concession  rights 
that  it  does  the  corner  seller  in  retail  concession  rights. 
Some  boys  who  have  resented  the  middleman's  price 
of  3|  cents  for  the  Sunday  paper  have  attempted 

1  Sometimes  boys  find  it  hard  to  decide  whether  to  employ  a  sales- 
man or  lease  the  corner.  A  very  interesting  Spanish  Jew  discussed  at 
some  length  the  advisability  of  "hiring  out  his  corner." 

Of  the  61  high-school  sellers,  8  are  employees,  35  sell  for  themselves, 
and  18  sell  for  themselves  and  at  the  same  time  employ  assistants.  Of 
the  517  elementary  sellers,  187  are  employees,  316  sell  for  themselves, 
and  14  both  sell  for  themselves  and  work  for  others. 

[130] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

to  purchase  them  downtown  at  the  3-cent  rate  and  have 
been  refused  permission  to  do  so  because  of  the  local 
middleman. 

In  retailing  on  the  routes,  boys  have  two  problems 
which  the  corner  sellers  do  not  meet.  (1)  One  of  the 
papers  charges  route  boys  60  cents  per  hundred  for  dailies, 
while  corner  sellers  pay  50  cents  per  hundred  for  the 
same  paper.  (2)  Route  boys  buy  dailies  at  the  rate  of 
60  cents  per  hundred  and  retail  at  25  cents  per  month; 
they  buy  Sundays  at  the  rate  of  3  or  3|  cents  and  retail 
at  25  cents  per  month.  They  make  less  on  the  daily  than 
the  corner  boys,  and  their  Sunday  profits  depend  largely 
on  the  number  of  Sundays  in  a  month.1 

F.   Credit  and  Collections 

Credit  and  collections  must  be  understood  by  news- 
boys from  two  related  points  of  view:  in  relation  to  the 
purchase  of  papers,  involving  their  dealings  with  whole- 
salers; and  in  relation  to  final  sales,  involving  their  deal- 
ings with  customers. 

Both  route  boys  and  corner  boys  are  obliged  to  keep 
accurate  accounts  and  to  pay  wholesalers  promptly. 
They  may  not  expect  credit  until  they  have  established  a 
business  reputation  which  justifies  confidence.  Con- 
tracts, bonds,  retention  of  salary  percentage,  and  sale  of 
corners  are  the  various  methods  by  which  wholesalers 
protect  themselves  against  collection  loss  and  misplaced 
credit  confidence. 

In  dealing  with  the  ultimate  consumer,  boys  have  a 
much  more  difficult  problem  and  no  really  desirable 

1  Boys  are  thinking  of  all  these  points,  and  many  had  very  logical 
and  very  fair  explanations  to  offer  for  the  various  business  requirements. 

[131] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

method  of  protection.1  Although  high  percentage  of 
profit  and  daily  turnover  of  stock  are  two  characteris- 
tics of  newsboy  sales,  the  total  profit  is  comparatively 
small,  and  loss  due  to  credit  and  failure  to  collect  must 
be  carefully  watched. 

This  is  the  most  serious  business  problem  in  connec- 
tion with  carrier  service,  especially  where  total  loss  is 
borne  by  the  carrier,  and  it  is  borne  by  the  carrier  in  all 
cases  where  remuneration  is  on  the  profit  basis.  When  a 
salary  is  paid,  the  boy  loses  his  collection  percentage, 
but  not  the  total.  Some  boys  are  excellent  collectors.  A 
few  are  unusually  good  and  because  of  their  success  have 
been  able  to  secure  additional  employment  as  collectors 
with  business  firms.  Knowledge  of  human  nature  and 
the  way  to  meet  and  handle  different  types  of  people  are 
recognized  as  essentials  to  success.  Quite  a  number  of 
boys  are  reading  along  these  lines  in  connection  with 
their  collection  efforts. 

We  were  somewhat  surprised  to  find  credit  assuming 
such  large  proportions  in  connection  with  corner  sales. 
Many  customers,  especially  in  certain  residence  dis- 
tricts, buy  on  the  credit  basis,  and  sometimes  the  boys 
have  considerable  trouble  to  collect.  One  bright  little 
Russian  boy  explained  the  corner  credit  risk  very  mi- 
nutely and  ended  with,  "You  don't  catch  a  Jewish  boy 
trusting  them  unless  he  knows  just  what  he's  doing." 
When  I  asked  how  he  knew  what  he  was  doing,  he  re- 
plied, "I  have  my  own  way."  Too  intuitive  a  way,  I 
assumed,  to  be  expressed,  but  the  ability  to  analyze 
human  nature  was  evidently  there  and  later  on  will  be 
a  valuable  asset. 

1  They  may  require  payment  in  advance,  but  they  do  not,  because 
they  know  that  to  do  so  is  poor  business  policy. 

[132] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

G.   Soliciting 

Soliciting  is  even  more  difficult,  in  the  estimation  of 
the  boys,  than  is  collecting  —  with  this  difference :  if 
they  fail  in  collecting,  they  lose  on  goods  for  which  they 
have  already  paid;  if  they  lose  in  soliciting,  they  merely 
fail  to  increase  their  business. 

Practically  all  newsboy  contracts  call  for  definite 
efforts  in  securing  new  subscribers.  Some  have  a  regu- 
lar system  for  solicitation,  while  others  have  little  idea 
of  how  to  proceed  and  know  nothing  of  the  principles 
involved. 

Boys  who  are  good  solicitors  realize  that  house-to- 
house  canvass  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  forms  of  sales- 
manship and  that  whatever  success  they  may  attain  in 
this  line  is  a  valuable  business  asset  for  the  future. 

H.   Profit  and  Loss 

Dailies  are  usually  purchased  at  a  rate  which  permits 
100  per  cent,  gross  profits.  Net  profits  depend  upon 
many  factors,  with  all  of  which  newsboys  soon  become 
familiar  and  soon  learn  to  estimate.  Overhead  is  not  a 
serious  item,  but  loss  due  to  left-over  goods,  damaged 
goods,  forced  papers,  credit,  theft  from  boxes,  etc.,  is 
no  inconsiderable  item  when  the  balance  sheet  is  figured. 

Boys  are  unable  to  protect  themselves  against  certain 
forms  of  loss,  but  there  is  one  most  desirable  form  of 
protection  with  which  every  boy  should  provide  himself 
—  a  good  list  of  permanent  customers.  Approximately 
75  per  cent,  of  our  corner  sales  are  made  to  regular  cus- 
tomers. Permanent  customers  mean  prompt,  efficient, 
and  reliable  service  on  the  part  of  the  boys,  a  matter 
which  is  entirely  under  their  own  control.  Wholesalers 

[133] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

consider  it  very  important  that  regular  boys  be  on  their 
corners  every  day  and  give  prompt  and  satisfactory  serv- 
ice, as  many  purchasers  go  out  of  their  way  in  order  to 
patronize  their  regular  seller.  When  necessary  to  supply 
substitutes  for  corner  sellers,  sales  loss  has  sometimes  run 
as  high  as  50  per  cent.1 

It  was  impossible  to  secure  any  accurate  figures  on 
profit  and  loss.  Accounts  run  for  short  periods  and 
statistics  are  soon  forgotten,  but  boys  understand  the 
principle,  or  where  they  do  not,  they  are  fast  learning  it. 
Three  or  four  primary-grade  boys  were  struggling  with 
percentage  problems  at  the  time  of  interview.  We  were 
occasionally  asked  if  we  could  explain  such  problems  as 
the  following: 

"  You  buy  them  2  for  1  cent  and  the  big  boys  say  you  make 
100  per  cent.  What  do  they  mean?" 

"Charlie  says  he  makes  100  per  cent,  and  I  only  make  85 
per  cent,  because  I  don't  sell  all  my  papers.  How  can  you  tell 
how  much  you  make?" 

"Is  per  cent,  different  from  money?  I  make  20  cents  and 
John  says  I  make  95  per  cent." 

One  little  lad,  10  years  of  age,  came  to  the  office  twice 
subsequent  to  our  interview  in  order  to  secure  assistance 
in  figuring  his  percentage  loss.  As  I  was  passing  his  cor- 
ner recently,  he  called  out  that  he  had  something  to  tell 
me.  I  crossed  the  street  and  learned  that  he  now  under- 
stood how  to  figure  his  own  loss  and  found  it  very  easy. 
It  will  be  at  least  three  or  four  years  before  he  reaches 
percentage  in  the  regular  school  curriculum,  and  then  I 
doubt  if  he  will  be  as  anxious  to  understand  it  as  he  was 
when  there  was  a  definite  motive  back  of  his  interest. 

1  A  retail  loss  which  involves  wholesale  loss. 
[134] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 
I.   Business  Ethics 

There  are  certain  practices  in  connection  with  nearly 
every  occupation  regarding  which  there  is  more  or  less 
difference  of  opinion  and  which  are,  therefore,  more  or 
less  difficult  to  classify.  They  cannot  be  branded  "dis- 
honest," neither  is  the  higher  type  of  business  man  will- 
ing to  permit  classification  of  them  under  "fundamental 
principles  of  business." 

In  the  newsboy  service  practices  of  this  class  are  illus- 
trated by  the  tip  system,  exchange  of  car  transfers,  etc. 
Being  unwilling  to  classify  them  as  either  dishonest  or 
as  established  business  principles,  we  shall  consider  them 
under  business  ethics. 

1.  Tips.  Tips  are  neither  common  nor  excessive  in 
Seattle  and  are  much  less  of  a  factor  in  financial  returns 
than  was  formerly  the  case.  Some  boys  receive  a  little 
in  this  way  every  day,  other  boys  receive  nothing  except 
on  holidays.  66  elementary  sellers1  did  not  receive 
enough  to  affect  their  income  materially;  98  received 
from  one  to  two  dollars  a  month;  and  the  rest  had  never 
estimated  what  they  had  been  given.2 

Closing  the  saloons  has  decreased  income  from  this 
source,  as  has  also  the  cafeteria  habit,  which  always 
means  an  abundance  of  pennies  in  the  average  pocket. 
Public  sentiment  is  undoubtedly  against  the  system  in 
connection  with  personal  service  of  any  kind.  Many 
boys  look  with  decided  disfavor  on  the  custom.  This  is 
especially  true  of  Boy  Scouts,  and  it  would  doubtless  be 
better  for  all  concerned  were  the  practice  to  be  entirely 
discontinued. 

1  Route  boys  sometimes  receive  tips. 

2  In  1911  Milwaukee  boys  were  receiving  about  half  their  income 
from  tips.    Newsboys  of  Milwaukee,  page  77. 

[135] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

Acceptance  of  tips  cannot,  of  course,  be  considered  dis- 
honest; but  it  is  a  comparatively  short  step  from  the 
legitimate  tip  to  "no  change"  and  "short  change,"  and 
it  is  an  open  question  ft  patrons  who  permit  boys  to  re- 
tain, even  at  their  command,  that  which  they  do  not 
earn  are  not  contributing  unconsciously  to  the  formation 
of  unethical  business  habits.  Newsboys  make  100  per 
cent,  gross  profits,  their  turnover  is  immediate,  and  their 
net  profit  much  more  than  they  will  be  likely  to  make 
in  adult  business  life  —  why  allow  them  to  begin  their 
business  career  with  false  ideas  of  the  average  return  on 
financial  investments? 

2.  Exchange  of  Car  Transfers.  Curtis  boys  do  not 
receive  many  tips.  Their  sale  price  is  higher  and  is  for 
even  change.  Quite  a  number  of  them,  however,  plan 
to  save  transportation  expense  by  means  of  a  regular 
system  of  transfer  exchanges.  To  .some  extent  daily 
boys  have  the  same  system,  but  it  is  less  universal, 
because  less  useful. 

Boys  coming  from  different  sections  of  the  city  to  the 
central  office  receive  transfers,  usually  on  school  tickets, 
to  other  sections.  When  the  boys  meet  at  the  distribu- 
tion center,  these  transfers  are  exchanged  for  return 
transfers  to  their  home  district.  Opinion  among  boys 
differs  considerably  as  to  whether  this  is  good  business, 
sharp  practice,  or  actually  dishonest. 


III.      SUPERVISION   OF  NEWSBOYS 

It  has  often  been  stated  that  newsboys  have  no  su- 
pervision. Indeed,  lack  of  adult  supervision  has  been 
considered  one  of  the  great  contributory  causes  to  unde- 
sir ability  of  the  service. 

[136] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

Do  newsboys,  or  do  they  not,  work  under  adult  super- 
vision? 

Facts  presented  have  been  sufficient  to  allow  each 
reader  to  draw  his  own  conclusions.  If  newsboys  do  not 
have  supervision,  personally  I  should  like  to  know  what 
kind  of  supervision  boys  in  other  occupations  have. 
Every  corner  in  Seattle  is  carefully  supervised  on  the 
business  side,  and,  as  good  business  is  rapidly  coming  to 
be  coincident  with  good  morals,  it  is  being  supervised 
more  and  more  on  the  moral  side.  It  is  the  duty  of 
wholesalers  and  district  managers  to  know  the  sales 
value  of  every  corner  and  to  see  that  business  is  trans- 
acted to  the  full  limit.  It  is  also  their  duty  to  note  per- 
manent and  accidental  sales  variation  and  to  what  extent 
the  boys  are  responsible  for  the  same.  Boys  must  be  on 
their  corners  regularly  and  promptly,  or  they  lose  their 
concessions;  they  must  avoid  all  habits  which  tend  to 
offend,  or  they  will  lose  their  customers;  they  must  at- 
tend strictly  to  business,  or,  failing  to  make  the  most  of 
their  corner,  they  will  lose  it.  Boys  have  much  oppor- 
tunity for  initiative,  but  they  themselves  feel  pretty 
thoroughly  supervised. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  the  reasons  for  this 
careful  oversight  if  one  pauses  to  realize  that  the  success 
of  the  retailer  involves  success  of  both  wholesaler  and 
publisher.  It  is  good  business  to  give  corner  boys  super- 
vision, and  it  is  given.1 

Route   boys,   also,   are   under   a   regular   supervisory 

1  A  heavy  thundershower,  an  almost  unheard-of  occurrence  in  Seattle, 
came  up  recently  just  at  the  rush  hour  for  news  sales.  Many  boys 
became  alarmed,  left  their  papers  on  the  corners,  and  ran.  Sales  loss  and 
loss  from  damaged  goods  was  serious.  Of  course  the  boys  lost,  but  so 
also  did  the  wholesalers. 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

system,  and  each  boy  pays  the  penalty  of  his  own 
shortcomings.  Supervisors  tell  us  that  carelessness  and 
negligence  are  not  common.  There  are  a  good  many 
complaints,  but  they  involve  comparatively  few  boys. 
These  are  disposed  of  after  a  short  period  of  trial.  Skips 
are  paid  for  by  the  boy  who  does  the  "skipping." 
He  is  reached  by  telephone  if  possible  and  permitted 
to  rectify  his  own  error,  otherwise  messenger  service 
at  the  rate  of  10  to  15  or  25  cents  is  charged  against 
him. 

The  unsupervised  boy  in  news  service  is  the  self-em- 
ployed boy,  usually  the  very  young  boy  who  buys  a  few 
papers  from  a  corner  seller  and  hangs  around  two  or 
three  hours,  accomplishing  nothing  financially  and  often 
cultivating  detrimental  habits.  Wholesalers  do  not 
care  for  the  services  of  boys  under  12  years  of  age 
and  would  prefer  such  to  be  forbidden  freedom  of 
the  streets  for  sales  purposes.  They  confirm  the  state- 
ments of  boys,  that  13  and  14  are  probably  the  best 
ages  for  schoolboy  selling.1  Young  boys  are  very  irre- 
sponsible and  leave  their  corners  on  the  lightest  pre- 
text; older  boys  are  apt  to  be  sensitive  regarding  the 
publicity  involved.2 

Undoubtedly  it  would  be  wise  social  economy  to  re- 
move this  type  of  seller  from  the  streets,  or  furnish  some 
sort  of  street  supervision.  It  is  not  the  business  of  the 
wholesaler  to  furnish  supervision,  nor  is  he  in  any  way 
responsible  for  such  boys.  Possibly  the  time  may  come 
when  responsibility  for  licensing  newsboys  will  be  re- 
garded as  a  legitimate  educational  function  and  we  shall 

1  39  of  the  49  best  sellers,  judged  by  financial  returns,  are  boys  between 
12  and  14  years  of  age.    5  are  Turkish  Jews. 

2  This  does  not  apply  to  the  adult  professional  newsboy. 

[138] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

have  a  closer  cooperation  between  the  vocational  and 
educational  progress  of  all  of  our  younger  boys.1 


IV.      NEWSBOY     SERVICE    AS    A    BLIND-ALLEY    OCCUPATION 

Having  concluded  that  many  of  the  fundamental 
business  precepts  which  boys  can  and  should  learn  as  a 
part  of  their  preparation  for  successful  living  are  present 
in  newsboy  service,  it  would  hardly  be  expected  that  the 
term  "blind  alley"  would  appeal  to  the  writer  in  con- 
nection with  such  service.  However,  as  we  have  many 
times  been  told,  without  qualifications,  that  it  was  a 
dead-end  or  a  blind-alley  occupation,  we  will  not  side- 
step the  issue. 

What  constitutes  a  blind-alley  occupation?  An  occu- 
pation which  begins  and  ends  with  the  original  line  of 
work;  an  occupation  which  offers  no  educative  elements, 
no  future  promotion,  and  from  which  there  is  no  escape 
unless  it  be  to  less  desirable  forms  of  service. 

Are  these  the  characteristics  of  newsboy  service?  Is 
there  no  future?  Is  there  no  way  out? 

We  can  prove  nothing  by  showing  that  we  have  many 
men  in  Seattle  who  have  found  their  way  from  newsboy 
service  to  the  most  desirable  occupations.  We  do  not 
know  how  many  such  there  are,  nor  do  we  know  what 
other  elements  besides  newsboy  service  may  have  been 
controlling  factors.  Going  a  step  further,  we  may  have 
more  who  have  drifted  downward  from  the  service  than 
have  drifted  upward.  Our  best  evidence  comes  from  the 

1  When  boys  under  14  years  of  age  are  employed  for  wage,  and  many 
are,  why  does  not  our  child-labor  law  require  a  labor  permit?  Readers 
who  may  be  interested  in  the  educational  supervision  of  newsboys  will 
find  many  valuable  suggestions  in  the  system  in  use  in  Milwaukee. 

[139] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

boys  who  are  now  finding  their  way  out,  combined  with 
the  fact  that  we  know  that  the  educative  elements  neces- 
sary to  help  a  boy  out  are  there,  provided  he  knows 
enough  to  find  them  and  knows  how  to  use  them. 

One  schoolboy  who  was  a  newsboy  when  we  began 
this  study  is  now  a  district  manager.  A  second  boy,  19 
years  of  age,  has  been  in  the  service  7  years  and  is  pre- 
paring for  circulation  manager  in  another  city.  A  third 
boy  has  made  an  unusual  success  of  collections  and  has 
been  promised  a  permanent  position  in  this  line  of  the 
service  as  soon  as  he  has  completed  his  school  course. 

No  one  would  assume  that  there  would  be  positions 
at  the  top  for  all  the  newsboys,  even  were  all  the  news- 
boys capable  of  reaching  the  top.  This  is  not  true  of 
any  occupation,  nor  is  it  necessary  for  newsboys  to  re- 
main in  the  same  occupation  in  order  to  permit  rejection 
of  the  term  "blind  alley."  News  service  is  a  juvenile 
occupation.  Is  it  a  stepping  stone,  for  boys  who  render 
faithful  service,  to  something  better? 

C.,  18  years  of  age,  bought  a  corner  many  years  ago  for 
$37.50.  He  sold  on  it  4  years  and  during  that  time  saved  over 
$200  above  expenses.  He  is  now  in  one  of  the  newspaper  offices, 
where  he  expects  to  be  permanently. 

M.,  19  years  of  age,  was  obliged  to  remain  out  of  school 
two  years.  He  had  been  a  newsboy  a  good  many  years,  had 
bought  his  own  clothes  since  he  entered  the  6th  grade,  and  had 
also  contributed  to  the  support  of  the  home.  He  had  learned 
to  meet  people  in  news  selling  and  during  the  two  years'  absence 
from  school  found  it  a  great  asset  as  a  solicitor  for  newspapers. 
He  still  works  as  a  collector  and  solicitor  and  expects  to  enter 
salesmanship. 

H.,  15  years  of  age,  lost  his  mother  in  1908  and  his  father  in 
1912.  He  has  been  self-supporting  since  his  father  died.  Has 

[140] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

an  office  corner  and  is  trying  to  get  all  the  information  he  can 
out  of  newsboy  service,  as  there  is  already  much  which  has 
helped  him.  He  has  the  refusal  of  a  permanent  sales  position. 

No  occupation  is  a  blind  alley  for  such  boys.  To  be 
sure,  these  are  isolated  cases,  but  if  some  boys  find  the 
way  out,  is  it  fair  to  call  the  alley  blind?  Would  it  not 
be  more  logical  to  say  that  we  have  some  boys  who  are 
blind-alley  boys? 

I  am  not  ready  to  admit,  radical  as  this  may  appear  to 
some,  that  there  is  any  such  thing  as  a  blind-alley  occu- 
pation. There  is  always  a  future,  provided  there  be 
ability  to  see  it  and  perseverance  to  pursue  it.  The 
highest  educational  service  that  the  schools  can  render 
the  boy  of  today  is  assistance  in  the  development  of  the 
character  qualities  which  will  show  him  how  to  find  the 
light  in  any  occupational  alley  which  he  may  enter  to- 
morrow. This  is  one  of  the  prime  functions  of  Voca- 
tional Guidance  Departments.  When  they  know  their 
mission,  accept  it,  and  fulfill  it,  we  shall  have  fewer  blind- 
alley  boys. 

V.   VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  CURTIS  SALES 

Nearly  all  the  vocational  elements  connected  with  the 
circulation  of  daily  news  are  found  also  in  connection 
with  P-J-G  service. 

Curtis  boys  do  not  buy  and  sell  corner  privileges,  but 
they  do  buy  and  sell  routes,  employ  sub-sellers,  and  have 
an  agreement  among  themselves  that  any  boy  who  main- 
tains corner  sales  for  two  months  has  a  right  to  the  corner 
and  shall  not  be  molested  by  other  boys.  They  buy  at 
wholesale,  sell  at  retail,  solicit  and  collect,  and  are  allowed 
full  returns. 

[141] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

The  city  is  not  districted  and  no  definite  territory  is 
assigned  individual  boys;  hence  a  Curtis  route  means  a 
list  of  customers,  whereas  a  daily  route  means  a  list  of 
customers  within  a  given  territory.  This  distinction  in 
route  systems  is  accountable  for  a  competitive  element 
in  Curtis  sales  which  is  not  found  in  daily  sales  —  com- 
petition among  different  salesmen,  employed  by  the  same 
house,  to  sell  the  same  goods,  in  the  same  territory. 

Boys  object  to  this  form  of  competition,  not  because 
they  are  unwilling  to  contest  for  trade  with  other  boys, 
but  because  they  have  no  protection  in  retaining  trade 
after  successful  competition.  The  quality  of  goods  is 
identical,  and  boys  know  from  experience  that  character 
of  service  alone  will  not  retain  their  customers  against 
the  appeal  of  personal  friendship.  Too  often,  sales  ex- 
perience, sales  principles,  and  sales  talks,  acquired  through 
the  personal  effort  of  one  boy,  only  serve  to  show  the 
prospect  that  the  article  offered  is  desirable  no  matter  where 
or  of  whom  it  is  purchased.  Too  often,  the  advertising 
is  done  by  the  boy  who  studies  his  sales  suggestions, 
while  the  sale  goes  to  encourage  the  "cunning  little  neigh- 
bor'* who  is  just  beginning  his  efforts.  Quite  a  number 
of  our  best  Curtis  salesmen,  who  at  one  time  had  excellent 
routes,  have  become  completely  discouraged  and  given 
up  the  work. 

This  is  not  the  only  form  in  which  Curtis  boys  meet 
undesirable  competition.  There  is  a  growing  tendency  for 
daily  newsboys  to  secure  a  few  copies  of  Curtis  maga- 
zines and  offer  them  for  sale  with  the  dailies.  To  them, 
the  Curtis  sales  are  of  minor  importance,  but  they  "may 
as  well  have  the  few  cents,  and  full  returns  are  allowed." 
They  are  not  Curtis  boys  in  the  true  meaning  of  the 
term,  but  they  are  spoiling  the  efforts  of  the  Company 

[142] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

to  have  the  term  carry  with  it  any  significant  meaning 
and  they  are  spoiling  Curtis  boys'  trade.  The  Boy 
Scouts,  too,  have  quite  unintentionally  been  permitted  to 
spoil  several  regular  Curtis  routes.  Each  Scout  troop  has 
been  allowed  to  sell  a  certain  number  of  copies  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  Scout  treasury.  Scout  boys  appeal  strongly  to 
the  public,  and  a  number  of  Curtis  boys  have  been  bitterly 
disappointed  to  be  told  by  regular  customers  that  "here- 
after they  wanted  to  encourage  the  Scout  movement."  l 

Another  type  of  competition,  not  met  by  daily  boys,  is 
found  in  the  difference  in  price  of  yearly  subscription  and 
delivery  subscription  or  street  sales.  We  have  already 
mentioned  the  business  necessity  of  maintaining  the 
right  balance  between  boy  sales  and  subscription  sales. 
Every  publishing  house,  on  business  principles,  prefers 
subscription  sales.  Daily  subscription  sales  and  daily 
boy  sales  offer  the  customer  a  uniform  price.  He  may 
choose  the  method  best  suited  to  his  convenience  with- 
out financial  consideration.  Curtis  boys  offer  customers 
a  publication  which,  if  purchased  of  them,  costs  $2.60 
per  year,  while  if  purchased  by  paid  subscription,  costs 
only  $1.50  per  year.  There  is  uniformity  of  time  in  both 
types  of  delivery.  Many  Curtis  boys  complain  that 
"customers  are  getting  wise  to  subscriptions." 

Curtis  boys  have  much  less  supervision  in  maintaining 
and  in  increasing  sales,  but  they  have  an  expensive  and 
a  carefully  thought-out  course  in  salesmanship  and  a 
semi-professional  club  where  sales  problems  are  discussed. 

What  is  the  financial  return,  to  the  Company,  on  this 
expensive  system  of  vocational  education?  What  does 
it  mean  to  the  boys  in  terms  of  education? 

1  I  understand  that  this  method  of  sale  has  been  discontinued  since 
our  interviews. 

[143] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

The  financial  return  to  any  business  system  depends 
largely  on  its  adaptation  to  the  purpose  it  seeks  to  accom- 
plish. The  educational  return  on  any  system  depends 
largely  on  its  adaptation  to  the  needs  and  abilities  of 
those  whom  it  seeks  to  educate.  Therefore,  reply  to  our 
questions  must  be  sought  in  analysis  of  the  object  of  the 
house  and  of  the  needs  and  abilities  of  its  boy  employees. 

Certain  facts  relative  to  Curtis  service  are  either  self- 
evident,  or  have  been  revealed  during  the  progress  of 
this  study: 

(1)  The  prime  object  of  the  methods  of  any  publish- 

ing house  is  increase  in  circulation. 

(2)  The  secondary  object  of  the  Curtis  Company  is 

vocational  education. 

(3)  It  is  Curtis  policy  to  accept  as  salesman  every  boy 

who  applies  —  no  selective  methods  are  employed. 

(4)  Application  is  invited  by  means  of  one  of  the  most 

attractive  advertising  systems  in  use  in  this 
country,  a  system  which  attracts  the  attention 
and  appeals  to  the  intelligence  of  professional 
workers  and  the  higher  type  of  parent;  therefore 

(5)  Most  boy  applicants  come  from  homes  which  can, 

and  do,  afford  better  financial,  social,  and  edu- 
cational advantages  than  do  the  homes  of  the 
average  daily  boy.  Boys  have  a  better  mental 
background;  are,  as  a  group,  less  retarded  and 
rank  higher  scholastically.  They  have  fewer 
objectionable  habits  and  more  careful  home 
supervision.  On  the  other  hand,  they  have  less 
incentive  to  personal  effort,  and  in  case  of  dis- 
satisfaction positions  are  easily  given  up;  there- 
fore 
[144] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

(6)  The  labor  turnover  is  very  high,  as  is  also  per- 

centage of  dissatisfacton  in  comparison  with 
daily  boys. 

(7)  48  per  cent,  of  the  sellers  are  under  12  years  of 

age,  and  80  per  cent,  have  been  in  the  service 
one  year  or  less.  How  can  boys  of  that  age,  in 
less  than  one  year,  learn  anything  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  salesmanship? 

(8)  The  labor  turnover  acquaints  many  homes  with 

the  Curtis  publications. 

(9)  The  older  boy  finds  it  difficult  to  retain  his  position 

because,  while  the  earnings  per  hour  are  good, 
he  cannot  put  in  enough  hours  to  make  it  worth 
while,  and  he  feels  that  the  competitive  elements 
mentioned  above  are  not  in  harmony  with  the 
best  sales  principles  and  handicap  him  in  using 
expert  knowledge  to  the  best  advantage. 

After  careful  study  of  this  subject  my  own  personal 
conclusions  are: 

(1)  That  if  the  Company  reaps  anything  like  com- 
mensurate return  on  its  financial  investment,  it 
must  come  through  the  advertising  features  of 
the  scheme  and  not  through  increased  sales  due 
to  education  of  its  salesmen. 

There  is  a  circulation  limit  for  even  the  highest- 
class  publication.  When  this  limit  has  been 
reached,  and  there  are  many  facts  in  connection 
with  sales  circulation  in  Seattle  which  influence 
me  to  feel  that  this  may  be  the  case  with  two  of 
the  Curtis  publications,  the  business  problem  of 
the  circulation  manager  shifts  from  increase  in 
sales  to  stability  of  sales.  On  this  ground  we 

[145] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

have  financial  justification  for  the  absence  of 
selective  methods,  for  the  youth  of  employees, 
and  for  the  high  labor  turnover. 

(2)  That  the  vocational-educational  return  is  nothing 
like  commensurate  with  the  efforts  or  the  ex- 
pense involved.  Not  because  the  type  of  voca- 
tional education  offered  is  undesirable  or  the  con- 
tent and  methods  of  the  course  unsatisfactory, 
but  because  it  is  not  adapted  to  the  abilities 
and  needs  of  the  majority  of  Curtis  salesmen. 

In  the  first  place  we  have  "to  catch  them" 
before  we  can  train  them,1  and  thus  far  only  52 
out  of  214  elementary  boys  have  made  themselves 
available  for  vocational  training.  The  remainder 
do  not  read  the  literature  and  do  not  attend  the 
club  meetings.  Boys  are  too  young  and  too 
immature  when  they  enter  the  service  and  drop 
out  before  they  have  developed  the  ability  to 
grasp  the  fundamental  principles. 

There  are,  of  course,  a  few  older  boys  who  are 
acquiring  judgment  to  decide  which  sales  sug- 
gestions apply  to  their  problems  and  which  are 
practically  untenable.  The  return  to  these  boys 
in  later  life  should  be,  and  I  believe  will  be, 
worthy  both  of  the  personal  effort  and  of  the 
effort  of  the  Company.  They  will  have  both  the 
practical  sales  experience  and  the  science  of  sales- 
manship, combined  with  a  sales  recommendation 
from  a  high-class  business  house. 


1  The  Compulsory  Education  Law  does  this  for  the  public  schools. 
Perhaps  we  should  have  no  better  success  than  the  Curtis  Company 
were  we  competing  on  our  own  merits. 

[146] 


VOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

If  the  Curtis  vocational  plan  is  to  be  made  more  gen- 
erally useful,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  must  be  through 
better  local  adaptation.  If  the  educational  features  be 
desirable,  it  offers  an  opportunity  to  the  local  school  sys- 
tem to  begin  its  continuation-school  efforts  under  the 
most  favorable  conditions  possible.  This  should  be  done 
through  the  vocational  department  in  cooperation  with 
the  Curtis  district  agent. 

The  selective  method  which  is  the  basis  of  all  genuine 
vocational  guidance  would  have  to  be  introduced  in  some 
form,  and  the  labor  turnover,  which  tends  to  encourage 
drifting  and  discourage  perseverance,  would  have  to  be 
reduced.  I  can  readily  see  that  some  desirable  educa- 
tional elements  might  conflict  with  the  business  policy 
of  the  home  office,  but  I  do  not  think  any  serious  ob- 
stacles would  arise;  and  whenever  we  have  239  boys 
within  our  public  educational  system  who  are  already 
engaged  in  the  same  vocation,  our  opportunity  for  com- 
bining vocational  and  academic  knowledge  is  right  at 
our  door. 


[147] 


CHAPTER  NINE 

THE  AVOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

IS  school  newsboy  service  a  vocation  or  an  avocation? 
Some  would  classify  it  one  way,  others  the  other.  If 
it  be  considered  a  vocation  for  the  adult  newsboy  alone, 
one  is  tempted  to  ask  what  constitutes  a  vocation  — 
interest,  knowledge,  success,  or  length  of  service?  Many 
schoolboys  have  been  in  the  service  for  years,  are  vitally 
interested,  and  are  very  successful.  Are  they  following 
a  vocation? 

The  Compulsory  Education  Law  of  our  state  declares 
that  school  attendance  shall  be  the  first  business,  and 
therefore  the  vocation,  of  a  large  majority  of  newsboys. 
But  the  statutes  of  no  state  have,  as  yet,  shown  the  edu- 
cator how  to  enforce  the  law  in  actual  practice.  Attend- 
ance officers  compel  the  body,  but  they  cannot  compel 
the  mind.  This  is  the  function  of  the  instructor,  and  it 
cannot  come  to  pass  until  we  motivate  our  school  work 
so  that  it  may  be  definitely  purposive. 

It  matters  not  what  our  theory  may  or  may  not  be; 
it  matters  not  what  our  Compulsory  Education  Law  may 
or  may  not  be;  in  actual  practice,  there  is  daily  compe- 
tition between  two  forces  to  secure  the  first  interest  of 
our  school  newsboys.  One  is  highly  motivated,  the  other 
is  not;  one  functions,  the  other  does  not;  one  demands 
and  develops  aggressive  self-activity,  the  other  does  not.1 
For  the  good  of  the  boy,  which  should  be  the  vocation, 
which  the  avocation? 

1  One  teacher  who  graded  her  pupils  very  carefully  wrote  as  follows 
on  one  of  the  records:  "While  is  a  poor  student  lacking  in  ini- 
tiative, ambition,  and  alertness,  he  seems  to  use  all  of  these  qualities 
in  his  work  as  newsboy,  perhaps  because  the  advantage  or  result  of 
the  latter  is  more  tangible  to  him." 

[148] 


AVOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 

So  long  as  the  above  statements  are  true,  so  long  as  the 
real  problems  in  life  are  found  outside  the  school,  so  long 
as  the  school  satisfies  no  need,  solves  no  problems,  and 
helps  to  reach  no  aim  which  the  boy  understands,  just 
so  long  will  news  service  tend  to  be  the  vocation  and 
school  work  the  avocation. 

There  are  many  elementary  boys  for  whom  news 
service  is  a  vocation  and  school  work  an  avocation. 
This  is  not  true  of  high-school  boys.  The  boy  who 
feels  that  news  service  furthers  his  ultimate  aims 
better  than  does  academic  education  will  drop  out  at 
high-school  age.  The  boy  who  remains  indicates  by  so 
doing  that  he  has  grasped  the  more  remote  returns  on 
education  and  that  news  service  is  an  avocational  use  of 
his  leisure. 

This  difference  in  attitude  of  the  elementary  boy,  to 
whom  the  present  school  motive  is  too  indefinite  to  ap- 
peal, and  of  the  high-school  boy,  who  is  able  to  grasp 
the  broader  motive  of  education  and  therefore  considers 
the  end  worth  attaining,  suggests  and  emphasizes  that 
the  change  needed  in  the  elementary  school  is  in  the 
teaching  process  rather  than  in  the  ultimate  aim  of  edu- 
cation. Material  and  method  must  be  more  immediately 
significant.  Real  problems  and  useful  material  must 
dominate  the  content  of  our  elementary  curriculum. 
Newsboy  work  is  motivated,  its  material  is  immediately 
significant,  its  methods  real  problems.  It  demands  and 
develops  accuracy,  promptness,  personal  responsibility, 
and  aggressive  self-activity.  The  real  motive  impelling 
newsboy  service  is  the  character  of  the  work.  It  is  motivated. 

Other  avocational  occupations  among  school  newsboys 
which,  to  some  extent,  indicate  their  character  and  in- 
terests are  club  life,  attendance  at  and  choice  of  theaters 

[149] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 


and  moving  pictures,  and  the  selection  of  reading  matter 
other  than  regular  school  assignments. 

Club  life  and  the  features  which  appeal  most  strongly 
to  boys  have  already  been  discussed.  A  large  number  of 
boys  know  how  to  swim  and  are  very  fond  of  that  form 
of  recreation.1 

Table  XL  shows  the  average  per  capita  percentage  of 
weekly  attendance  at  picture  shows  and  theaters  by 
grades.  It  also  indicates  what  class  of  entertainment  is 
most  popular  among  boys  in  the  different  grades.2 

TABLE  XL 


Grade 

Average 
WeekK 

Attend, 
per  Boy 

No. 
Rarely 
Attend 

No. 
Never 
Attend 

No. 
Prefer 
Vaude- 
ville to 
Pictures 

No. 
Prefer 
Dramatic 
and 
Melo- 
dramatic 
Pictures 

No. 
Prefer 
Western, 
Indian, 
and 
Cowboy 

No. 
Prefer 
War 

No. 
Prefer 
Travel, 

News, 
and  Edu- 
cational 

8 

.92 

22 

9 

12 

56 

1 

6 

27 

7 

.77 

22 

7 

17 

34 

19 

6 

33 

6 

.68 

17 

9 

6 

21 

11 

15 

9 

5 

.65 

14 

7 

5 

17 

10 

14 

2 

4 

.74 

10 

9 

5 

7 

13 

26 

7 

3 

.62 

10 

9 

0 

6 

9 

15 

2 

2andl 

.44 

5 

7 

1 

9 

3 

1 

.74 

100 

57 

45 

142 

72 

85 

81 

Table  XLI  indicates  the  prevalence  of  the  reading 
habit  among  elementary  boys  and  the  number  who  have 
the  benefit  of  adult  supervision  in  selection  of  material. 

These  statistics  would  be  more  valuable  had  we  com- 
parative material  for  the  entire  school  population. 

1  54  out  of  61  high-school  sellers,  99  out  of  214  elementary  Curtis 
boys,  and  about  one  third  of  the  remainder. 

2  Not  all  boys  expressed  opinions  on  either  theaters  or  reading. 

[150] 


AVOCATIONAL  ASPECT  OF  SERVICE 


TABLE  XLI 


Grade 

Using 
Library 
Card 

Reading 
Supervised 
by  Teacher 

Reading 
Supervised 
by  Parent 

Preference 
for  Papers 
and 
Magazines 

Not  Read- 
ing at  All 

8 
7 
6 
5 
4 
3 
2andl 

117 
110 
55 
45 
18 
17 
6 

14 
8 
3 
11 
13 
7 

4 
5 
13 
13 

8 
3 

2 

27 
26 
4 
2 
8 
1 

16 
15 
17 
10 

32 
21 

27 

368 

56 

48 

68 

138 

A  few  boys  were  excessively  fond  of  moving  pictures, 
but  the  average  attendance  of  less  than  once  a  week  for 
eighth-grade  boys  and  less  than  once  in  two  weeks  for 
the  younger  boys  does  not  indicate  that  the  average 
newsboy  spends  much  time  or  money  in  that  form  of 
amusement.1 

The  close  comparison  between  the  "travel,  news,  and 
education"  pictures  and  the  preference  for  reading  papers 
and  magazines  would  tend  to  support  the  inference  that 
taste  in  pictures  and  in  reading  is  apt  to  be  similar. 

Nearly  60  per  cent,  of  the  elementary  newsboys  have 
public-library  cards.  Curiosity  prompts  us  to  wonder 

1  A  group  of  little  foreign  boys  had  never  been  to  a  theater  or  moving- 
picture  show  except ,  one  of  the  least  desirable  for  children  in  the 

city.  Tickets  to  this  house  had  been  given  them  two  or  three  times  by 
their  employer.  These  little  fellows  were  pathetically  anxious  sometime 

to  attend ,  a  popular  juvenile  house.    This  future  pleasure  was  a 

veritable  dream,  but  the  home  demanded  every  penny.  Mrs.  Crick- 
more  reported  the  incident  to  the  manager  of  the  coveted  entertainment, 
who  promptly  arranged  for  their  admission. 

[151] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

how  large  a  percentage  of  total  elementary  enrollment 
can  make  as  good  a  showing. 

High-school  boys  seem  to  be  rather  more  fond  of  mov- 
ing pictures  than  are  the  grade-school  boys,  but  they 
read  very  much  less. 

Sunday  and  payday  are  the  great  theater  days. 


[152] 


CONCLUSIONS 

groups  of  public-school  boys  have  been  dis- 
cussed:  (1)  The  daily  newsboy,  (2)  the  Curtis 
newsboy,  (3)  the  boy  in  general  employment,  and  (4) 
the  total  male  registration. 

Three  of  these  groups,  comprising  approximately  13 
per  cent,  of  the  total  male  registration,  are  pursuing  their 
education  and  are,  at  the  same  time,  engaged  in  wage- 
earning  occupations.  The  fourth  group  comprises  the 
three  wage-earning  groups  and  87  per  cent,  of  non-em- 
ployed pupils.  5.3  per  cent,  of  the  elementary  male 
registration,  and  9  per  cent,  of  the  high-school  male 
registration,  are  engaged  in  news  circulation.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  13  per  cent,  wage  earners  is  engaged  in  a 
variety  of  employments. 

Our  study  seems  to  have  proved  conclusively  the  fol- 
lowing general  principles: 

(1)  That  more  detailed  information  regarding  news- 

boy pupils  and  full  information  regarding  all 
school  pupils  is  necessary  before  it  is  safe  to 
draw  definite  conclusions  regarding  the  con- 
nection between  any  given  influences  and  news- 
boy service. 

(2)  That  the  educational  and  vocational  problems  of 

the  young  cannot  be  successfully  solved  by  deal- 
ing with  pupils  en  masse.  Each  pupil  has  a 
definite  and  a  specific  individuality  affording 
definite  and  specific  problems.  Group  study  is 
the  line  of  least  resistance,  appears  convincing,  is 
interesting,  is  instructive,  and  within  certain 
limits  affords  facts  which  warrant  general  con- 
clusions. 

CMS] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

The  general  results  of  this  study  are  indicative 
of  the  type  of  boy  found  in  the  news  service  and 
of  the  vocational  demands  and  experiences  of 
the  service.  Study  of  individual  cases  proves 
that  the  same  contributing  influences  do  not 
always  act  and  react  in  the  same  manner.  What 
is  apparently  proved  by  one  case,  a  second  case 
is  always  at  hand  to  contradict.  Individual 
variations  cannot  uniformly  be  traced  to  the  in- 
fluence of  newsboy  service. 

(3)  Schoolroom  education  is  only  one  phase  of  educa- 

tion. Other  phases,  possibly  of  more  importance 
for  the  future  welfare  of  the  pupil  and  of  society, 
are  being  acquired  in  newsboy  service. 

The  juvenile  problem  of  the  circulation  de- 
partment is  no  less  complex  and  no  less  perplex- 
ing than  is  the  juvenile  problem  of  the  educa- 
tional department  —  with  these  differences:  (1) 
The  circulation  manager  knows  exactly  what  he 
is  attempting  to  accomplish  and  has  definite 
standards  by  which  to  measure  his  attainments. 
The  educator  is  much  less  fortunate  in  this 
respect.  (2)  The  circulation  manager  knows 
which  influences  act  and  react  favorably  on 
newsboy  efficiency  —  he  "picks  carefully  from 
good  homes  and  fires  the  failures."  The  educator 
may  not  do  the  same. 

(4)  The  field  of  education  is  broadening;  new  agencies 

are  entering  the  field;  the  day  is  fast  coming 
when  the  educator  must  choose  between  compe- 
tition and  cooperation.  Whatever  his  choice 
may  be,  failure  is  imminent  unless  he  knows  the 
character  of  the  other  agencies  with  which  he 
[154] 


CONCLUSIONS 

would  compete  or  cooperate.  Prolonged  and 
tireless  effort  in  the  field  of  research  is  the  price 
of  such  knowledge.  As  educators,  are  we  willing 
to  pay  the  price  and  claim  the  leadership? 

The  educational  and  vocational  information  revealed 
in  this  study  which  would  seem  suggestive  to  teachers  is 
as  follows: 

(1)  5.3  per  cent,  of  elementary  pupils  are  engaged  voca- 

tionally or  avocationally  in  an  energizing  occu- 
pation which  offers  excellent  opportunity  for 
educational  and  vocational  guidance.  The  most 
successful  and  the  most  popular  age  for  news 
selling  is  13  and  14  years,  or  the  years  just  prior 
to  release  from  the  influence  of  the  Compulsory 
Education  Law.  Therefore,  many  newsboys  are 
forced  by  law  to  place  themselves  in  a  position 
to  respond  to  educational  and  vocational  guid- 
ance, provided  the  material  and  method  of  such 
guidance  be  of  sufficient  interest  to  secure  mental 
response. 

(2)  Analysis  of  the  various  factors  which  are  usually 

assumed  to  be  vitally  important  contributors  to 
the  educational,  social,  and  moral  aspect  of  the 
newsboy  problem  indicates  that  education  and 
occupation  do  not  uniformly  react  either  favor- 
ably or  unfavorably  on  one  another. 

The  school  newsboy  as  an  educational,  moral, 
and  social  type  is  an  average  boy.  Variations 
from  the  average  are,  in  some  instances,  due 
to  influences  connected  with  newsboy  service; 
in  other  instances  no  such  connection  can  be 
shown. 

[155] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

(3)  Analysis  of  the  various  vocational  elements  com- 

prised in  newsboy  service  indicates  that  this  line 
of  employment  is  not  a  blind  alley,  but  has 
something  of  definite  value  to  contribute  to  the 
vocational  education  of  the  young.  Its  voca- 
tional experiences  afford  a  variety  of  informa- 
tion regarding  the  fundamental  principles  upon 
which  business  systems  are  built. 

(4)  Analysis  of  the  characteristics  essential  to  success 

in  newsboy  service  indicates  that  it  demands  the 
practice  of  certain  qualities  which  are  valuable 
assets  per  se.  On  the  other  hand,  under  certain 
conditions,  it  permits  great  liberty  of  choice  be- 
tween "good"  and  "evil." 

Youth  is  the  time  to  acquire  right  habits. 
Youth  is  also  the  time  to  acquire  independent 
habits  both  of  thought  and  of  action.  The 
greatest  need  of  the  adolescent  youth  of  today  is 
that  type  of  educational  and  moral  guidance 
which  will  show  him  how  to  think  right,  and  how 
to  act  right,  and  how  to  do  both  instinctively, 
courageously,  and  independently. 

(5)  Many  boys,  especially  the  12  to  14  year  old  boys, 

are  enthusiastically  and  vitally  interested  in 
newsboy  service  and  the  best  solution  of  the 
problems  which  it  presents. 

Any  influences  in  schoolboy  experiences  which 
are  capable  of  arousing  and  sustaining  his  in- 
terest are  of  pedagogical  worth.  Many  minor 
influences  impel  newsboy  service.  Practical 
motives  dominate  all  others.  Earning  money 
does  not  offer  a  sufficiently  attractive  motive. 
Unless  there  is  some  definite  personal  benefit 
[156] 


CONCLUSIONS 

which  the  boy  understands,  he  shows  no  more 
interest  than  in  future  uncertain  returns  on 
education.  One  boy,  forced  to  sell  because  of 
economic  pressure,  complained  about  the  serv- 
ice "because  there's  nothing  in  it  for  me.  I 
don't  get  any  of  the  money,  and  I  don't  get 
my  play  time  either."  This  boy  had  not  yet 
realized  that  the  wolf  was  at  the  door.  Far 
different  a  second  economic-pressure  case  in 
which  every  particle  of  interest  was  centered 
on  news  sales,  "because  whether  we  have  any- 
thing to  eat  or  not  depends  on  what  I  sell." 
The  same  fact  prevails  with  reference  to  smoking. 
Boys  will  not  give  it  up  because  of  an  intangible 
moral  or  physical  injury,  but  they  will  give  it  up 
when  they  see  customers  pass  them  by  for  the 
boy  without  the  cigarette. 

Interpreted   in  terms  of  educational   and   vocational 
guidance,  the  facts  which  we  have  summarized  mean: 

(1)  That  our  public-school  system  has  an  opportunity 
to  offer  13  per  cent,  of  its  charges  the  highest 
and  most  successful  type  of  educational  and 
vocational  guidance  —  guidance  based  on  defi- 
nite vocational  experiences.  Moreover,  it  has  an 
opportunity  to  use  its  knowledge  of  the  differ- 
ent elements  which  enter  into  this  vocational 
experience  for  the  benefit  of  the  87  per  cent, 
who  have  had  no  vocational  experience  and  who 
are,  therefore,  dependent  upon  it  for  general 
vocational  guidance,  or  the  type  of  educa- 
tional guidance  which  prepares  for  vocational 
self-guidance. 

[157] 


NEWSBOY  SERVICE 

(2)  That   our   public-school   system   can   and   should 

familiarize  itself  —  on  fact,  not  on  theory,  basis 
—  with  the  character  of  vocational  experiences, 
or  any  other  experiences,  which  interest  pupils. 
That  it  should  attempt  to  discover  therein  the 
elements  which  appeal  to  pupils  and  should  be 
guided  by  this  knowledge  in  the  selection  of 
academic  material  and  methods. 

(3)  That  our  public-school  curriculum  can,   through 

the  motivation  of  method  and  material,  make 
definite  contributions  toward  satisfying  the  needs 
of  many  actual  and  potential  requirements  of 
occupational  life.  Through  constant  efforts  in 
this  direction  eventually  it  must  be  realized  that 
no  academic  assignment  is  entitled  to  the  interest, 
or  even  the  attention,  of  pupils  unless  it  offers 
something  of  permanent  value  —  unless  it  makes 
a  definite  contribution  to  future  usefulness  and 
success. 


[158] 


APPENDIXES 


APPENDIXES 


J 


l  I 


w 


I 


I 


1  1 
1 


ffl 


o 
Q 


[160] 


g 

I 

P« 

b 

I  I   1 
&  §  -g 

•8      &     M 

1      §3      S 


b     >> 

Si   -S    4 
•3    1    -s 


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E 


APPENDIXES 


[161] 


APPENDIXES 

APPENDIX  II 

OCCUPATIONS  OF  SCHOOLBOYS.  SEATTLE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS.  1916 


Employment 

Grades 

High  School 

Totals 

Bowling  alley  

3 

3 

Caddy 

81 

28 

109 

Chauffeur  

2 

2 

Clerk      .    . 

39 

98 

137 

Collector 

1 

5 

g 

Delivery  

221 

124 

345 

Elevator  

2 

2 

Factory       .  .    . 

13 

11 

24 

Farm  or  house 

62 

27 

89 

Janitor  

16 

23 

39 

Labor  

2 

6 

8 

Laundry  

4 

4 

Library  

10 

10 

Longshoreman  

3 

3 

Music  

1 

3 

4 

Odd  jobs  

40 

40 

Office  

18 

42 

60 

Porters  

2 

2 

Reporters  

3 

3 

Shingle  mill 

3 

6 

9 

Skilled  trades 

12 

33 

45 

Teachers 

2 

2 

Theater 

4 

12 

16 

Western  Union  operators  .  .  . 

2 

2 

Totals  

520 

444 

964 

APPENDIX  in 

EXAMPLES  OF  SCHOOLBOY  EMPLOYMENT 

1.  Age  13.     Grade  8B.     Native  born    of    native  parents. 
Washes  bottles  for  dairy.    4  to  6  A.M.  on  school  days  and  all  day 
Saturday.    $3.50  per  week.    Rank  in  class,  B. 

2.  Age  12.     Grade  4A.     Native  born  of  Italian  parents. 
Works  in  a  flower  store.    3:30  to  9  P.M.  school  days.    8:30  A.M. 
to  9  P.M.  Saturday  and  8:30  A.M.  to  1  P.M.  Sunday.    $15  per 
month.    Rank  in  class,  B. 

[162] 


APPENDIXES 

3.  Age  12.     Grade  5A.     Italian  born  of  Italian  parents. 

Works  in factory.    4  to  6  P.M.  school  days  and  9  A.M.  to 

6  P.M.  Saturday.    $10  per  month.    Rank  in  class,  B. 

4.  Age  12.     Grade  5A.     Native  born  of  Russian  parents. 
Sells  soft  drinks.    3:30  to  7  P.M.  school  days,  8  A.M.  to  7  P.M. 
Saturday,  and  8  A.M.  to  7  P.M.  Sunday.    $1  per  week.    Rank  in 
class,  poor. 

5.  Age  10.     Grade  5B.     Native  born  of  native  parents. 
Carrying  lunches.    25  minutes  each  day.    $.25  per  week.    Rank 
in  class,  C. 

6.  Age  8.    Grade  2.  Native  born  of  native  parents.   Folding 
in  laundry.    Saturday  all  day.    $.25  per  day.    Rank  in  class,  B. 

7.  Age  9.    Grade  4B.  Native  born  of  native  parents.  Deliv- 
ery for  grocery.    3  hours  school  days  and  all  day  Saturday.    $1 
per  week.    Rank  in  class,  C.    This  boy  is  on  call,  but  has  con- 
siderable free  time. 

8.  Age  10.    Grade  3A.  Native  born  of  native  parents.  Deliv- 
ery for  drug  store.    3:30  to  6:30  P.M.  on  school  days  and  10  to 
12  A.M.  Saturday.    $1  per  week.    Rank  in  class,  A. 

9.  Age  13.  Grade  7B.  Native  born  of  Scandinavian  parents. 
Packing  shingles.    Friday  6  P.M.  to  6  A.M.  Saturday,  and  1  to 
5  P.M.  Saturday.    $.08  per  M.    Rank  in  class,  B. 

10.  Age  13.     Grade  7B.     Native  born  of  native  parents. 
Janitor  4  to  5  P.M.  school  days  and  11  to  12  A.M.  Saturday.    $10 
per  month.    Rank  in  class,  B. 

11.  Age  13.     Grade  7A.     Native  born  of  native  parents. 
Caddying.    4  hours  Saturday  and  7  hours  Sunday.    $.20  per 
hour.     Rank  in  class,  B. 

12.  Age  13.     Grade  8B.     Native  born  of  native  parents. 
Caddying.    3:30  to  7  P.M.  school  days,  8  A.M.  to  7  P.M.  on  Sat- 
urday and  Sunday.    $.20  per  hour.    Rank  in  class,  B. 

13.  Age  12.    Grade  6B.   Native  born  of  Scandinavian  parents. 
Mows  lawns.    3  hours  per  week.    $.25  each  lawn.    Rank  in 
class,  B. 


[163] 


APPENDIXES 


APPENDIX  IV 

IRREGULAR  ATTENDANCE  IN  CONNECTION  WITH  OTHER  NEWSBOY 
INFLUENCES 


No. 

Days 

Abs. 

Rank 

Status 

Time 
Sold 

Hours 
Selling 

Other  Influences 

1 

16 

B 

Ret'd 

2yr. 

Short  hrs. 

Poor  health 

2 

12 

A 

Normal 

3  mo. 

Sun.  only 

3 

13 

C 

Ret'd 

2wk. 

Short  hrs. 

Came  from  country 

4 

5 

7 
81 

B 
C 

Ahead 
Normal 

2yr. 
4yr. 

Short  hrs. 
Long  hrs. 

Mother  employed 

6 

7 

12 
15 

C 

Low 

Ret'd 
Ret'd 

Syr. 
6  mo. 

Long-late 

Father's  shop  weekdays 
Poor  home  influences 

8 

15 

Low 

Ret'd 

2yr. 

Sunday 

Poor  home  control 

9 

141 

C 

Ret'd 

3  mo. 

Short  hrs. 

Illness 

10 

17 

Low 

Ret'd 

4yr. 

Short  hrs. 

Mental  defective.     Court  case 

11 

7 

A 

Ahead 

2wk. 

Long  hrs. 

Skipped  grade 

12 

10 

C 

Normal 

3  mo. 

Sunday 

13 

91 

B 

Normal 

2yr. 

Long  hrs. 

Fine  boy  —  good  home 

14 

44 

C 

Ret'd 

4yr. 

Long-late 

Poor  home  influence 

15 

10 

A 

Normal 

6  mo. 

Long  hrs. 

Fine  boy  in  every  way 

16 

71 

B 

Normal 

7  mo. 

Long  hrs. 

17 

91 

A 

Ret'd 

4  mo. 

Long  hrs. 

Just  in  from  country  school 

18 
19 

18 
91 

B 

C 

Ret'd 
Normal 

Syr. 
4yr. 

Short  hrs. 
Sunday 

Mother  employed 
Poor  home  influence 

20 

101 

A 

Normal 

Syr. 

Sunday 

21 

81 

Low 

Ret'd 

4yr. 

Sunday 

Habitual  truant.     Poor  home 

22 

71 

A 

Normal 

4  mo. 

Long-late 

23 

6 

A 

Normal 

2yr. 

Short 

Mother  employed 

24 

91 

A 

Ret'd 

2  mo. 

Short! 

Other  employment 

25 

61 

A 

Ahead 

Syr. 

Short 

A  fine  boy 

26 
27 

6 

71 

A 
B 

Ret'd 
Ret'd 

2yr. 
1  mo. 

Long-late 
Sunday 

Father  dead,  home  necessity 

28 

13 

A 

Ret'd 

1  mo. 

Sunday 

Lazy 

29 

9 

A 

Ret'd 

3  mo. 

Sunday 

Repeating  a  grade 

30 

171 

C 

Ret'd 

Syr. 

Short 

Assists  father  in  store 

31 

141 

A 

Ret'd 

2  mo. 

Short 

Assists  father 

32 

8 

B 

Ret'd 

2yr. 

Short 

Illness 

33 

101 

C 

Ret'd 

4yr. 

Short 

A  neglected  boy 

34 

81 

A 

Ret'd 

2yr. 

Short 

Theater  work  evenings 

35 

6 

C 

Ret'd 

2  mo. 

Short 

No  ambition 

36 

7 

A 

Normal 

1  mo. 

Sunday 

Doing  other  work 

37 

12 

C 

Ret'd 

1  mo. 

Long-late 

38 
39 

22 
25 

Low 
C 

Ret'd 
Ret'd 

1  wk. 
2wk. 

Short  hrs. 
Long  hrs. 

Low  general  record.    Illness 
No  home  restraint 

40 
41 

23* 

B 
B 

Normal 
Ret'd 

Syr. 

4yr. 

Sunday 
Long  hrs. 

Doing  other  work 
Other  work  necessary 

42 

111 

Low 

Ret'd 

3  mo. 

Long-late 

Poor  home  influence 

43 

12 

C 

Ret'd 

2yr. 

Sunday 

Mother  employed 

44 
45 

ill 

C 
C 

Ret'd 
Ret'd 

1  mo. 

2yr. 

Short 
Sells  A.M. 

Fine  home.     Nice  boy 
Grocery  31  hrs.  after  school 

46 

15 

A 

Ret'd 

Syr. 

Saturday 

Illness 

47 

14 

B 

Ret'd 

4yr. 

Short  hrs. 

Always  for  illness.    Fine  boy 

48 

10 

B 

Ret'd 

lyr. 

Sunday 

Poor  home  influence 

49 
50 

8 

81 

B 
C 

Normal 
Ret'd 

5yr. 
5yr. 

Sunday 
Long-late 

Mother  dead 

51 

301 

C 

Ret'd 

2wk. 

Long 

Entered  late 

52 

7 

Low 

Ret'd 

5yr. 

Long-late 

Low  mentally  —  home  influence 

53 

61 

Low 

Ret'd 

4  mo. 

Long-late 

Out  2  yrs.    Poor  home  influence 

54 

71 

B 

Normal 

2yr. 

Short 

Skating  rink  evenings 

[164] 


APPENDIXES 


IRREGULAR  ATTENDANCE  IN  CONNECTION  WITH  OTHER  NEWSBOY 
INFLUENCES     (Continued) 


No. 

Days 

Abs. 

Rank 

Status 

Time 
Sold 

Hours 
Selling 

Other  Influences 

55 

16 

Low 

Ret'd 

4yr. 

i  hr.  da. 

Home  influence  bad 

56 

9 

Low 

Ret'd 

2wk. 

Ihr. 

Destitute  home 

67 

7 

B 

Ret'd 

3  mo. 

Short 

Other  work 

58 
59 

15 
10 

B 
C 

Ret'd 

Normal 

1  mo. 
Syr. 

Long 
Long 

Home  conditions  poor 

60 

8} 

A 

Normal 

lyr. 

Short 

61 

10 

C 

Ret'd 

2yr. 

Short 

Poor  home  influence 

62 
63 

Low 
A 

Ret'd 
Ret'd 

2  mo. 
2yr. 

Sunday 
Short 

General  record  poor 
Other  work.    Father  deserted 

64 

13 

B 

Ret'd 

1  wk. 

Ihr. 

Fine  boy.    Fine  mother 

65 
66 

25 
IS 

C 
B 

Ret'd 
Ret'd 

2yr. 
2  mo. 

Long-late 
Sunday 

Illness 

67 

7 

B 

Normal 

lyr. 

Sunday 

68 

12 

C 

Ret'd 

2  mo. 

Sunday 

Poor  home  —  saturated  in  tobacco  — 

69 

13 

C 

Ret'd 

lyr. 

Short 

poor  record 
Mother  employed.    Runs  the  streets 

70 

22 

A 

Normal 

Syr. 

Sunday 

Operation 

71 

18 

C 

Normal 

2  mo. 

Sunday 

Fine  boy 

APPENDIX  V 

LONG  AND  LATE  HOURS  IN  CONNECTION  WITH  OTHER 
NEWSBOY  INFLUENCES 

1.  12  yrs.    5B.    American  born.    Rank,  C.    Low  character 
grades.    Sold  1|  years.    Sells  5f  hours  school  days  and  16  hours 
Saturday.    $1.50  per  day.    Says  hinders  him  educationally. 

2.  17  yrs.    8 A.    American  born.    Rank,  low.    Low  character 
grades.     Sold  4  years.     Sells  13f  hours  on  Saturday  only.     $1. 
Says  hinders  educationally. 

8.  13  yrs.  3B.  American  born.  Rank,  B.  High  character 
grades.  Sold  3  years.  Sells  8f  hours  on  school  days  and  14 
hours  on  Saturday.  $1.50  per  day.  Is  too  tired  to  study.  Pays 
high  corner  rent. 

4.  14  yrs.    8A.    Russian  born.    Rank,  A.    High  character 
grades.    Sold  6  years.    Sells  3  hours  school  days,  8  hours  Sat- 
urday, 3  hours  Sunday.     $55  per  month.     Does  not  hinder 
educationally.    Two  brothers  are  paying  way  through  college. 

5.  12  yrs.    4A.    American  born.    Rank,  low.     Always  had 

[165] 


APPENDIXES 

poor  health.    Father  out  of  work.    Sold  1  week,  3  hours  daily. 
$.15  per  day.    Eats  half  a  pie  for  supper. 

6.  11  yrs.    4A.    Italian-American.    Lowest  in  class.    Perfect 
in  attendance.    Sold  5  years.    Sells  5  hours  school  days,  10  hours 
Saturday.      $.50   school   days,   $1.50   Saturday.      An   untidy, 
neglected  boy. 

7.  13  yrs.   7A.  German-Jew.  Rank,  B.  Sold  5  years.  2  hours 
A.M.  and  3  hours  P.M.  schooldays,  7f  hours  A.M.  and  6  hours 
P.M.  Saturday.     $.40  school  days,  $1.75  Saturday.     Boy  says 
he  drinks,  gambles,  has  been  hi  court,  and  contributes  much 
information  on  vice  and  immorality  in  general. 

8.  12  yrs.    6B.    American.    Rank,  A.     A  fine  boy.    Sold  6 
months.    1^  hours  A.M.  and  3  hours  P.M.  school  days  and  Saturday 
and  2£  hours  Sunday.   Wage  of  $1.50  per  week.   Very  tired,  afraid 
lose  in  school  work,  but  family  need  his  help.     Father  deserted. 

9.  17  yrs.    5A.    Turk.    Rank,  low.    Been  hi  America  3  years. 
Sold  2|  years.    Sells  2£  hours  A.M.,  3  hours  P.M.  school  days  and 
Saturday  and  4£  hours  on  Sunday.    $3.30  per  week.    Paid  $30 
for  his  corner,  and  the  three  boys  support  the  family  and  go  to 
school. 

APPENDIX  VI 

COMPARATIVE  CASES  FROM  GENERAL  EMPLOYMENT  ILLUSTRAT- 
ING HOURS  OP  SERVICE  IN  RELATION  TO  REMUNERATION. 
HIGH-SCHOOL  BOYS 

1.  Age  14.    Caddy.     1  P.M.  to  6  P.M.  school  days,  all  day 
Saturday  and  Sunday.    $.20  per  hour. 

2.  Age  16.    Delivery.      1  P.M.  to  6  P.M.  school  days,  8  A.M. 
to  5  P.M.  Saturday.    $4.50  per  week. 

8.  Age  14.    Delivery.    4  P.M.  to  6:30  P.M.  school  days  and 
9:30  A.M.  to  6  P.M.  Saturday.    $1  per  week. 

4.  Age  14.    Drug  store  worker.    12:30  to  5  P.M.  school  days,  10 
A.M.  to  10  P.M.  Saturdays  and  every  other  Sunday.    $3  per  week. 

5.  Age  15.    Store.    3 : 30  to  6 : 15  P.M.  school  days  and  8  A.M. 
to  6:15  Saturdays.    $2.50  per  week. 

6.  Age  16.     Soda  fountain.     8|  hours  school  days,  6  A.M. 
to  8  P.M.  Saturdays  and  Sundays.    $8  per  week. 

[166] 


APPENDIXES 

7.  Age  16.    Parents  not  in  this  country.    Office  work.    3:15 
P.M.  to  11:15  P.M.  school  days,  8  hours  Saturday  and  Sunday. 
$6.50  per  week. 

8.  Age  17.    Delivery.    3  P.M.  to  10  P.M.  Friday  and  8  A.M. 
to  12  P.M.  Saturday.    $5  per  week. 

9.  Age  16.    Soda  fountain.    3:30  to  10:15  P.M.  school  days 
and  11  hours  Saturday  and  Sunday.    $5  per  week. 


APPENDIX  VII 

NATIVITY  AND  NATIONALITY  OP  OTHER  SCHOOL  WAGE  EARNERS.    964 


Nativity 

Elementary 
School 

High  School 

Totals 

Parents 

Pupils 

Parents 

Pupils 

Parents 

Pupils 

Austria          

4 

1 

1 

3 
1 
1 
1 
19 
5 
18 
2 
1 
22 
1 

i 

7 
3 
19 
1 
8 
5 
30 

i 

293 

2 

"2 
1 
1 
14 
1 
6 

"2 
1 

i 

2 
"3 
4 
4 

i 

400 
1 

1 

2 
1 
1 
40 
19 
41 
8 
6 
47 
2 
1 
2 
18 
15 
45 
2 
26 
10 
57 
1 
2 
597 
7 
1 
6 

1 
2 
1 
1 
25 
3 
17 
4 

7 
2 
1 
1 
5 
7 
4 
1 
11 
2 
5 

"2 
852 
4 

6 

Australia  

Bohemia  

Bulgaria  

Canada  

21 
14 
23 
6 
5 
25 
1 
1 
1 
11 
12 
26 
1 
18 
5 
27 
1 
1 
304 
5 
1 
6 

11 
2 
11 
4 

5 
1 
1 

3 

7 
1 
1 

7 
2 
1 

i 

452 
3 

6 

Denmark  

England  

Finland 

France 

Germany  

Greece 

Holland 

Iceland 

Ireland            .... 

Italy            

Norway       .... 

Poland         

Russia  

Scotland  

Sweden  

Switzerland  

Turkey  

United  States  

Wales 

Belgium 

Japan  

520 

520 

444 

444 

964 

964 

[167] 


APPENDIXES 

APPENDIX 

TYPICAL  EXAMPLES  OF  TURKISH  NEWSBOYS 

1.  Age  15.    Grade  5.    In  country  18  months.    Sold  9  months. 
Family  in  Europe.    Boy  worked  passage  by  selling  bread  and 
milk,  and  family  will  come  later.      Supports  self  and  finds 
selling  a  help  in  learning  English. 

2.  Age  13.     Grade  4.     In  country  4  years.     Father  shoe- 
shiner.    Sold  %\  years.    Paid  $£5  for  his  corner.    Ranks  B  in 
class.    Sells  3  hours  school  days,  14^  hours  Saturday,  and  6 
hours   Sunday.      $6   per   week.      Unkempt.     Doubtful  home 
influence. 

3.  Age  12.     Grade  5.     In  country  5  years.     Sold  4  years. 
Paid  $48  for  corner.    Rank,  low  in  class.    Mother  does  not  speak 
English.     Sells  4|  hours  school  days  and  7  hours  Saturday. 
$5.50  per  week.    Money  is  this  boy's  only  thought. 

4.  Age  12.    Grade  4.    In  country  4^  years.    Sold  3  years. 
Perfect  attendance  record.    Rank,  B.    Sells  on  salary.    3  hours 
for  $.50  school  days  and  12  hours  for  $1  on  Saturday.    Has 
bad  eyesight,  sickly,  a  pathetic  figure  of  a  little  old  man.    Has  been 
ordered  to  stop  selling  by  the  police,  but  does  not  do  so. 

5.  Age  15.     Grade  5.     In  country  3  years.     Sold  3  years. 
Rank,  C.    Owns  two  downtown  corners  for  which  he  paid  respec- 
tively $34  and  $200.    Rents  one  for  $2  per  week  and  employs  2 
extra  sellers  to  assist  him.    Sells  6  hours  school  days,  14^  hours 
Saturdays.     Makes  $10  net  per  week.     "Selling  bad  morally 
and  physically,  but  best  of  anything  for  money  and  learning 
English." 


[168] 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Age,  of  newsboys,  20,  21,  24. 

and  grade  census,  total  regis- 
tration, 42,  43. 

comparative  statistics  on,  73. 
popular  selling,  17,  25,  26. 
retardation  of  newsboys,  19- 

23. 
successful  selling,  16-17,  138, 

155. 
Annual  reports,  accuracy  of,  19. 

insufficient  data  in,  42. 
Attendance,  regularity  of  newsboy, 

49. 
comparative  statistics  on,  50- 

51. 

regularity    of   total   registra- 
tion, 49-50. 

St.  Louis  newsboys,  51. 
Author's  point  of  view,  xiii. 
Avocational     aspect    of    service, 
148-150. 

Bank  accounts,  123. 

Begging,  109,  113. 

Blind-alley  occupation,  139-140. 

Boy  Scouts,  influence  of,  80,  81, 

106. 

attitude  toward  tips,  135. 
number  of,  80. 

British    Interdepartmental    Com- 
mittee, 96,  97. 

Business    processes    in    newsboy 
service,  125-134. 

Carriers,  contracts,  2. 
independent,  12. 
number  of,  14,  15,  16. 


relation    to    circulation    de- 
partment, 3,  4. 
relation  to  district  agents,  3, 4. 
salaries,  4,  6. 
subcarriers,  12. 
Census,  newsboys  in  Seattle,  ix, 

12-15. 

age  and  grade,  42,  43. 
employment,  37-39. 
federal  newsboy,  12. 
Character    development,    in    the 

home,  69. 
in  the  service,  117. 
responsibility  of  teachers  for, 

115. 

Character  of  service,  xii,  149,  156. 
Character    qualities,    revealed    in 

school,  62,  64,  65. 
commercial  value  of,  63,  117. 
developed  in  the  home,  77. 
educational  value  of,  69. 
Child  Labor  Laws  of  Washington, 

xii,  xiii,  40. 

Circulation  systems,  xiii,  1. 
Clubs,  newsboys  belonging  to,  80. 
influence  of,  80-81. 
type  selected,  79-80. 
Collections,  commission  on,  4. 
by  older  boys,  17. 
loss  in,  131-132. 
College,  newsboys  preparing  for, 

68. 

Commissions,   on   sales   and   col- 
lections, 4,  132. 
Compulsory  Education  Law,  xii, 

45,50. 
Concession  rights,  2,  5,  128,  130. 

[171] 


INDEX 


Continuation  schools,  x. 
Corners,  control  of,  2. 

Curtis  boys,  141. 

lease  of,  129. 

rent  of,  127. 

sale  of,  127. 

value  of,  126,  127,  128. 
Credit,  131,  132. 
Curtis  boys,  age  of,  22,  145. 

American  born,  70. 

attendance  records,  49. 

bank  accounts  of,  123. 

character  rank,  64. 

class  rank,  27,  28,  29,  33,  61. 

competition  among,  142. 

earnings  of,  85,  87. 

earnings,  use  of,  89. 

home  conditions,  78,  79. 

hours  of  service,  56. 

labor  turnover,  52,  53,  145. 

number  in  January  grades,  24, 
25. 

number  in  school,  16. 

occupation  of  parents,  78. 

preparing  for  college,  68. 

profanity  among,  107. 

reasons  for  youth  of,  26,  45. 

retardation  among,  22,  23,  32, 
45. 

secondary  occupations  of,  89. 

size  of  families,  83. 

smoking  among,  105. 

type  of,  45,  144. 

Curtis  Publishing  Company,  Se- 
attle agency,  8. 

cooperation    with    public 
schools,  10. 

competitive  system,  142,  143. 

educational  literature  of,  10. 

[172] 


Curtis  Publishing  Co.  (cont'd) 

placement  system,  10,  11. 

prizes,  11. 

system  of  distribution,  8. 

vocational  plan,  9. 
Curtis  Vocational  Plan,  character 
of.  26. 

success  of,  146. 

value  of,  147. 
Customers,  17,  110,  132. 

District  agents,  character  of,  6. 

duties  of,  3. 

relation  to  carriers,  3,  4. 

salaries  of,  5. 

Domestic  Service,  ix,  xvii. 
Drinking,  109. 

Earnings,  of  newsboys,  85. 

minimum  wage,  88. 

monthly  average,  86—88. 

use  of,  85-88,  89. 

Economic  pressure,  as  motive,  82, 
90. 

federal  test  for,  83,  85. 

and  size  of  family,  83-84. 

and  earnings,  85-88,  89. 

and  secondary    occupations, 

89-90. 
Education,  changes  needed  in,  149. 

broadening  field  of,  154. 
Educational  guidance,  76, 155-158. 
Educational  problems  in  newsboy 

service,  91,  115,  147. 
Elementary    pupils,     number    of 
newsboys,  15. 

type  of  service,  4,  7,  16,  17. 
Elimination,  45,  60,  61. 


INDEX 


Employed  pupils,  number  in  Seat- 
tle, ix. 

Employers,  attitude  toward  use  of 

tobacco,  106. 
character  estimates  of,  65. 

Evening  schools,  xi,  75. 

Federal,  census  of  newsboys,   12. 

economic  pressure  test,  83,  85. 

report   on   delinquent    news- 
boys, 99. 
"Forcing  extras,"  2,  8. 

Gambling,   102,104. 

High  school,  number  of  newsboys 

in,  15. 

type  of  service,  4,  7,  16,  17. 
Home,  influence  of,  54,  55,  57,  69, 

76,  77. 

social  life  in,  76-79. 
Home  conditions,  77-78. 
Hours  employed,  55. 

relation    to    attendance    and 

retardation,  56-57. 
undesirable,  57-59. 

Influence  of  newsboy  service,  65- 

68,  92-95,  98-114. 
Investigation,  methods  of,  xvii. 
Investments,  newsboys',  123,  124, 

125. 
Italians,  70,  73,  74. 

Juvenile  Court,  opinions  of  judges, 
98. 

King  County,  100,  112. 

Law,  26. 
Juvenile  Police  Department,  112. 


Kansas  City  newsboys,  33-37. 

Labor  turnover,  newsboys',  52,  53, 

145. 

general  workers',  118-120. 
Length  of  service,  influence  of,  52- 

55. 
License  system,  12,  138. 

Meals,  irregularity  and  character 

of,  94-97. 

Middleman,  4,  5,  8,  130. 
Minimum  wage,  requirements  of, 

xiii. 

newsboy  average  and,  88. 
Moral  influence,  of  service,  98-100. 
accepted  opinions  of,  xii,  98, 

99. 

boys'  estimate  of,  111-114. 
of  dishonest  practices,    110- 

111. 
seen  in  Parental  School,  100, 

101. 

shown  in  interviews,  102. 
Motive  for  service,  82, 90, 149, 156, 

157. 
Moving  pictures,  151. 

National  Association  of  Corpora- 
tion Schools,  63. 
National  Child  Labor  Committee, 

98. 

Nativity  and  nationality,  of  news- 
boys, 70-71,  73. 
of  other  workers,  72,  73. 
Newsboys,  age  retardation  of,  19- 

23. 

attendance  records  of,  49. 
comparative  retardation,  33- 
43. 

[173] 


INDEX 


Newsboys  (cont'd) 

degree  of  retardation,  29-32. 
defined,  xv-xvi. 
earnings  of,  85-88. 
educational  ideals  of,  66,  67, 

68. 

investments,  124,  125. 
labor  turnover,  52,  53,  118- 

120. 

license  system,  12,  138. 
morals  of,  98-115. 
national    tendencies    among, 

70,  72. 

nationality  of,  70,  71. 
number  in  Seattle,  12,  14. 
number  in  school,  ix,  15. 
school  status  of,  24,  27,  28,  29. 
supervision  of,  4,  5,  136-138. 
Newsboy   service,    an    avocation, 

148-149. 

a  blind-alley  occupation,  139. 
boys'  estimate  of,  111-114. 
character  of,  xii. 
compulsory     education    and, 

xii. 

continuation  schools  and,  xii. 
dishonest  practices   in,    110- 

111. 

moral  influences  of,  98-115. 
physical  influence  of,  92-97. 
social  economy  of,  90-91. 
theater  attendance  and,  149- 

150. 
vocational    information    and, 

116-125,  148,  149. 
Newspapers,  in  Seattle,  1. 
New  York  City  newsboys,  33-36. 

Occupational  studies,  x. 

[174] 


Occupations,  secondary,  89. 
during  school  life,  x. 
of  foreigners,  75. 
of  parents,  78. 

Parental  School,  newsboys  in,  101. 

Perseverance,  120. 

Physical  influence  of  service,  92-95. 

Post-Intelligencer  newspaper,  1,  4, 
7,13. 

Primary  grades,  number  of  news- 
boys in,  24. 

Prizes,  7,  11. 

Profanity,  107-108. 

Professional  newsboys,  number  of, 
14. 

Profit  and  loss,  133-134. 

Promotion  statistics,  60,  62. 

Reading  among  newsboys,  150. 
Reasons  for  newsboy  study,  ix-xiii. 
Retardation,  among  newsboys,  19. 

annual  reports  on,  19. 

causes  of,  47,  49. 

comparative  statistics,  19-23. 

degree  of,  30-32. 

elimination  and,  45,  61. 

influence  of  service  on,  26,  46. 

of  other  earners,  40-41. 

of  total  registration,  44. 

scholastic  rank  and,  60. 

type  of  study  needed  on,  42. 
"Rolling  drunks,"  108. 
Route  system,  3-6,  142. 

competitive  Curtis,  143,  145. 
Russians,  70,  73,  74. 

St.  Louis  newsboys,  51. 
Saloons,  108,  109. 


INDEX 


School  status,  of  Seattle  newsboys, 
61-612. 

of  newsboys  in  other  cities,  33. 

of  other  earners,  38H12,  61-62. 

of  total  registration,  42-45. 
School  transfers,  use  of,  136. 
Sellers,  number  of,  13-15,  16. 

relation  to  circulation  system, 

2. 

"Short  changing,"  111. 
Size  of  families,  83-84. 
Smoking,    commercial    influence, 
106. 

employers'    attitude    toward, 
106. 

extent  of  habit,  105. 
Social  economy  of  service,  91. 
Social  life,  in  the  home,  76-79. 

outside  the  home,  79-81. 
Soliciting,  133. 
Solicitors,  7. 

Sources  of  information,  xviii. 
Star  newspaper,  1,  5,  7,  13. 
Street  trades,  laws,  24,  26. 

number  of  newsboys  in,  24. 
Subscriptions,  4,  6. 
Supervision  of  newsboys,  by  pa- 
pers, 4,  5,  136-138. 

by  schools,  138. 


Teachers,  inability  to  hold   wage 

earners,  x. 

responsibility  for  educational 
and  vocational  guidance, 
155-158. 

responsibility  for  understand- 
ing newsboy  service,  xii,  xv. 

Theaters,  149-150. 

Thrift,  121-122. 

Times  newspaper,  1,  5,  7,  13. 

Tips,  124,  135,  136. 

Turkish  Jews,  70,  73-76. 

Undesirable  hours,  97. 

Vocational  guidance,  62,  63,  76,  92. 
Vocational    guidance    and    Curtis 

plan,  147. 
Vocational  guidance  departments, 

141. 
Vocational  information,  125,  126. 

Wage  earners  in  Seattle  schools,  ix. 
Wholesalers,  2. 
Wholesaling,  130,  131. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  influence  of,  80. 

newsboys  belonging  to,  80. 


[175] 


NEW-WORLD  LANGUAGE  SERIES 

ALL  SPANISH  METHOD 

Metodo  directo  para  aprender  el  espanol 
By  GUILLERMO  HALL 

Adjunct  Professor  of  Spanish  in  the  University  of  Texas 


1  Teaches  Spanish  in  Spanish. 

2  Gives  conversational  command  of  the  lan- 
guage. 

3  Enables  the  student  to  make  his  way  in  any 
Spanish-speaking  country. 

4  Thoroughly  practical  vocabulary   of  about 
4000  everyday  words. 

5  More  than   300   illustrations  which    teach 
vocabulary. 

6  Numerous  and  varied  exercises. 

7  Constant  drill  on  verb  forms. 


urrmririiiiii 


First  Book:  xxix  +  280  pages  $  price  $1.00.     Second  Book:  xxix  +  307 
pages  }  price  $1.20.       Combined  Book:   xxix  +  309  pages  }  price  $1.60 


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INDIAN  LIFE  AND  INDIAN  LORE 
INDIAN  DAYS  OF  THE  LONG  AGO 

BY 

EDWARD  S.  CURTIS 
Author  oj  "The  North  American  Indian" 

Illustrated  with  photographs  by  the  author  and  drawings 
by  F.  N.  Wilson 


I 


N  this  book  the  author  gives  an  intimate  view  of 
Indian  life  in  the  olden  days,  reveals  the  great  diversity 
of  language,  dress,  and  habits  among  them,  and  shows 
how  every  important  act  of  their  lives  was  influenced 
by  spiritual  beliefs  and  practices. 

The  book  tells  the  story  of  Kukusim,  an  Indian  lad 
who  is  eagerly  awaiting  the  time  when  he  shall  be  a 
warrior.  It  is  full  of  mythical  lore  and  thrilling  adven- 
tures, culminating  in  the  mountain  vigil,  when  Kukusim 
hears  the  spirit  voices  which  mark  the  passing  of  his 
childhood. 

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INDIAN  LIFE  AND  INDIAN  LORE 

IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE 
HEAD-HUNTERS 

BY 

EDWARD  S.  CURTIS 

Author  of  "Indian  Days  of  the  Long  Ago" 
Illustrated  with  thirty  full-page  photographs  by  the  author 


[EODORE  ROOSEVELT  once  said  that  Mr. 
Curtis  has  caught  glimpses,  such  as  few  white  men  ever 
catch,  into  the  strange  spiritual  and  mental  life  of  the 
Indians.  In  this  book  the  author  shares  these  glimpses 
with  his  readers. 

The  story  centers  about  Motana,  the  son  of  the  great 
War  Chief.  The  mountain  vigil,  the  wooing  and  win- 
ning of  Naida,  the  raid  of  Yaklus  and  his  warriors,  the 
rescue  of  the  captured  Naida,  and  the  final  victory,  cel- 
ebrated by  ceremonial  dances,  are  all  described.  The 
action  is  rapid  and  the  story  is  told  in  the  direct,  simple 
style  of  the  true  epic. 

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